He Wears His Genius like a Mask
by foreverphantom014
Summary: Daniel James Fenton is a genius, who's life is considerably hard. Family acceptance issues, paired with the fact that social anxiety has made him it's bitch, he just doesn't know if he can do it anymore. But when Casper High's Goth Girl Sam Manson stops him in the hallway, all bets are off. AU
1. The Freak, the Goth, and the Technogeek

_Edited: 9/25/2016_

/

Daniel Fenton pushed his square framed glasses back up his nose on his way to the library of Casper High. He pushed open the doors and looked around, sighing in relief at the sign of no bullies. He waved to Mrs. Chap, the librarian, as he mulled over the Astronomy books in the reference section.

"How can I help you, Mr. Fenton?" Daniel looked up and smiled, clearing his throat. "I have a project in Astronomy….just looking over the books to use." Mrs. Chap smiled at the shy boy, and clapped her hands. "If you need to check any of those out you can. I trust you to take care of them."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chap." He smiled, and pushed his glasses back up his nose again. He continued browsing the books, stopping on a book called Constellations and Their Meanings. He pulled it out, brushing the dust off of the book, the musty smell filling his nostrils. His nose crinkled and he flipped through the pages, not loving the old book smell.

He waved to Mrs. Chap, who checked out the book and he exited the library, and left school.

Daniel James Fenton was something of a genius. He could do the quadratic formula in his head in thirty seconds (tops), could tell you what Shakespearean novel it could be just from the setting, and could tell you all about the constellations and what they mean. Shadowed only by his sister, Jasmine Fenton, Daniel came from a family of geniuses.

Madeline Fenton graduated with a Ph.D in Philosophy and Paranormal Science. Jack Fenton graduated with a Ph.D in Physics and Paranormal science. They were sometimes called a match made in heaven, their love of everything ghostly bringing their love together.

Their oldest child, Jasmine Fenton, had a knack for psychology. Many students of Casper High came to her for advice instead of counselors. She was a shoo in for Harvard, not even worried about her high school ACT score, which she blew out of the water and was a valedictorian at her class graduation.

The family's love of knowledge made them close, but also made people wary of them. Jasmine and Daniel did not have friends outside of each other, though Jasmine did have more acquaintances than her little brother.

Daniel had an extreme form of social anxiety that paired with his genius. He was bullied at school (though his family were in the dark about that) and nobody paid him any attention.

Which is why he was very surprised when a girl (Caspers independent goth girl) stopped him in the hallway. "Hey, Daniel right?" She called out. He turned sharply, and a blush spread over his face. "Wait up, I gotta talk to you." She said, her steps rushed forward towards him. Every fiber of his being told him to run away, but he didn't. He planted himself with only the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

"Don't be scared of me, okay? I just need your help on the Astronomy project." She said, her arms crossed over his midsection.

Daniel sighed and urged her to go on, not having the social strength to tell her with words. "...You left for the library before Dash complained about doing it by himself. Mrs. Parsons decided to let it be a, um, partner project." She said.

Daniel paled. That didn't mean anything to him, he usually did projects alone anyway. He pushed his glasses on his face again, and sighed. "O-o-okay. W-what did you need then?" He willed his lips to move.

"I offered to take you into me and Tuck's group if that's okay. We didn't want you to have to be alone." She whispered. "I know that you have anxiety about this stuff, I was just wondering if you were okay with that."

Daniel didn't know what to say, so he didn't. He nodded his head. "O-oh. Th-Thank you."

"My name is Sam. Sam Manson. Tucker Foley is the other in our group." She, Sam, told him.

Daniel tried to smile, a small smile carefully place on his lips. "J-just tell me whenever y-you want to meet up for the p-project." He told her, turning around and walking away.

"No problem, Daniel." She called back, her footsteps going the opposite directions.

Daniel James Fenton had no friends.

Why did he get the feeling that that wouldn't be the case for long?

/

Daniel opened the door to his house early, his teachers just allowing him to skip class for he had the highest marks in class. His mother was in the kitchen, tinkering with a device. "Hey Dannyboy! How was school."

"Fine…." He sighed in relief, happy to have someone he was comfortable with talking to, his stutter disappearing. He shrugged out of his backpack.

"Classes are still too easy for me. Project in Astronomy…." Danny paused, taking a deep breath, just the thought of Sam and Tucker made him feel anxious.

"I have to be in a group." He told her. His mother looked up in concern. "You going to be okay?" She asked. He nodded. "The girl who approached me in the hallway told me she knows that I have bad anxiety about stuff, makes me think Mrs. Parson let it slip when she announced groups." I rolled my eyes.

His mom looked up at him again. "I'm very proud of you, Danny." She smiled, patting his hand with her own. "Get to your homework." She winked. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Okay, mom." He said, picking up his bag and heading down to the lab to visit with his father.

"Hey Danny!" Jack called to his son, who made his way carefully down the stairs. "Hey dad." Danny waved, setting up at his desk.

"Your sister never comes home early from school anymore." Jack pointed out quietly. Danny looked up, his pencil still going in his hand.

"She has a project she's working on with Jess." Danny told him, and Jack nodded.

"How was school today, D?" Jack finally asked. "The usual." Danny stated simply, focusing on his physics homework.

Suddenly, the alarm started blaring in the lab. Jack turned sharply to look at the portal, the green depths seeming to jump out. "Daniel, get your mother." He said darkly. Danny jumped up and rushed up the stairs to grab his mother.

Daniel slowly turned towards the lab, hearing the sounds of his parents fighting the ghost. He told himself not to get involved. 'Danny you aren't needed.'

He heard a gasp and a thud, His mind racing. His mother came up the stairs, looking irate and concerned. "The ghost got loose in the town." His mother said guilty. Danny nodded. "Want me…?" He asked, but she just glared.

"Daniel, don't. Your father and I will find a cure to your condition. Don't give in to the cold temptation it brings." She told me with a glare, but stalked off to her room to grab her teal jumpsuit.

Danny sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. His father came up seconds later to join her, already donned in his jumpsuit.

"Stay put, Daniel." He told me, the cold, angry look also in his eyes. Daniel looked down at his shoes, not able to look his parents in the eyes. The front door shut and Daniel finally looked up, his face full of sorrow and confusion.

Daniel James Fenton had no friends. He was not normal.

/

He was part ghost.

It had been a bad lab accident, his parents told him. Daniel used to help out with the ghost projects, his mind sharp for anything science or math. Jasmine would sit on the sidelines for input, but Daniel usually ran the show. It had been a construction error, he had told his parents. The on switch had been put on the inside. When going into the portal to see if he could indeed fix it, he tripped and turned it on.

He came out only half human. His parents called him an abomination that first year, his mind thick with verbal abuse from his parents. Not the best fifteenth birthday, since his parents gave him something to limit his faulty powers. He grew smarter, and taller. His eyesight was still poor, but that was fine.

He never went ghost like he used to when he was fourteen. His parents didn't even know what his ghost half looked like. They had seen nothing, because they suppressed the memory. They didn't want to see their son become something they hated.

He kept the cold away, but could feel his powers grow as he aged. He grew taller, but his confidence remained small because of his parents.

Danny thought about this as he wrote his English essay. What it would be like if he had been accepted. His ghost half could do great things. Save people.

Danny remembered he always felt confident in the air. He hadn't gone flying in two years. He kept the urges down, but always wanted to soar again. He sighed, typing fingers pausing as he remembered the cool wind blowing back his white bangs that late September day, the last flight he took.

He swiveled around in his desk chair, gazing longingly at the sky, when the door to his room burst open and his mother was standing, covered in ectoplasm. "Dinner is ready if your homework is complete." She told him, looking him up and down. Her eyes lost the motherly warmth each time his ghost was brought up. It angered him to no end. It wasn't his fault he was this way.

He sighed and hopped from the chair, eyes going back to the sky, feeling constricted and trapped.

"Danny…..we will fix you." She whispered, looking him in the eyes. Her eyes were the hardest part, Danny decided.

"And if you can't?" Daniel asked. "It's not probable you will find a cure since we don't know exactly what cause this mutation." He said, "And it is also probable that, since I've lived three years with it attached to me, I would be killed at any attempt to remove it." He said, his voice analytical and cold as he told her the facts.

His mother sighed. "Then I don't know what we'll do, Daniel."

He was always Daniel in these moments. Never Danny.

Danny nodded, and walked past her, not letting her grab at him with apologetic hands. He knew his place in the family by now.

Jazz sat at the dinner table with their father, talking about some early college psychology program being offered at CHS.

"Danny! Did you finish your homework?" He asked. Jack was the more forgiving of the two parents. He nodded and sat down next to his sister, who grabbed his hand and squeezed. His sister knew how much it actually bothered him that they didn't accept something that had been apart of him for three years. Blindedly searching for a cure that could kill him.

They ate dinner in silence. Those silent dinners were not fun to Danny. His parents only making conversation with Jazz about school somewhat of the time to make it not seem awkward. When Danny finished his plate, he looked to his mother for confirmation that he could leave. "You are excused." She said, her eyes downcast at her own untouched potatoes. He got up sharply and went to leave, not looking back at his family that could never truly accept him.

He went up his steps and quietly closed the door to his room, where he spent most of his time alone, honing his abilities in his human form. He sat back down at his computer, where a notification popped up that he had an email. Puzzled, he click on the link. Nobody ever emailed him.

 _To: dfenton fentworks_

 _From: smanson casperhigh_

 _Daniel,_  
 _Hey! Sorry to intrude on your emails, but I need to know if you are okay with meeting up in the library before first period to discuss the project. Tucker can only meet in the mornings because of Tech Club after school, so its the best I could do!_

 _Thanks!_  
 _Sam._

Daniel's eyes flicked through the screen, catching on the name and the email. Sam Manson.

Something about her intrigued him. She was the first to openly talk to him, albeit in an empty hallway. He click the reply tab, and was about to type out a reply, when small knocks tapped on his door.

He turned towards the offending piece of wood, and muttered, "Come in."

His sister walked carefully through the door, shutting it softly. "Hey, little brother." She whispered, not wanting our parents to hear this conversation. I sighed and looked at her, not wanting to show any emotion.

"What did they do this time?" She asked. Jazz always knew when something was wrong with the family. Danny smiled bitterly at the thought that Jazz would make an excellent Psychiatrist.

"Usual. I was an idiot and forgot that if I offer to help with anything, powers or no powers, Mom gets cold and analytical. She can't even look at me without seeing a monster Jazz, how am I supposed get through you leaving for Harvard next month?" He asked her, eyes showing sadness beneath the frames.

She frowned. "I just wish that they would accept you. It's not healthy for you to keep all this in." She told him.

"You think I don't wish for either of those things? Do you know how badly I just want to leave? To take to the skies and never come back?" He asked her, eyes filling up with tears. "They would just hunt me down and force me to be their perfect genius son again, find a cure for my powers, and kill me in the process of having them removed. They would talk about how it was for science, and they'd get away with my murder Jazz. I can't do this anymore!" He wheezed, chest tightening in the beginnings of a panic attack.

Daniel collapsed on the floor, unaware that he had even gotten up from his seat, and curled his legs inward. He heard his sister's voice in the background, telling him he needed to breath. He would pass out at this rate, from hyperventilating. His parents would take him for more medication that would just make his world blurry and his brain dumb. He took a deep breath, trying to stop the mild panic attack from escalating.

"There you go, calm down….how long have you been holding that in?" She asked him. He laughed bitterly, tears still falling down his pale cheeks. "Three years."

 _To: smanson casperhigh_

 _From: dfenton fentworks_

 _Sam,_

 _That works for me. I get to school early anyway._

 _Daniel_

Danny clicked send after his short reply, still not knowing what to say even if they weren't in person. Jazz had finally left him alone after he calmed down. He sighed, his eyes feeling irritated and red. He hated crying.

His glasses laid abandoned on the desk next to his Physics book as he got up to go to his bathroom. The freedom of having his own shower was something he never took for granted. He locked his bedroom door and walked swiftly to his shower, turning it on and letting it heat up. Hoping he had it at the right setting to be lukewarm, he stripped out of his sweater, khakis, and socks, leaving him in his boxers in front of the mirror.

He wasn't bad looking. He was skinny, but not lanky. He had a lithe, graceful appearance that he hid under clothes just a bit too big.

He ditched the boxers and stepped under the spray, wincing when the water was still a bit too hot. Hot showers had bothered him since the accident, making him believe his ice core applied to his human half as well.

He sighed and scrubbed himself clean, feeling tired and drained from the day. He can't do this anymore, he told himself again, staring at the water running down the drain. Suds left his body and he turned up the heat on the water, letting himself be more than uncomfortable.

He didn't deserve this, he thought.

Daniel James Fenton was a freak. He had no friends, and his family didn't accept him.

But goddamnit, he didn't deserve it.

/

 _I do not have an explanation on why I have no posted in so long. Probably because I've been in and out of the fandom for a couple months._

 _I rewatched the show recently and found I'll never truly let it go, even if I am a senior in high school now ;p_

 _Please review and tell me if you would like me to continue!_


	2. The Normal Day with the Horrible End

When Daniel opened his eyes once more, it was still dark outside. His room was sheathed in shadows, with the pale setting moon shining on the floor. He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. 5 a.m, He rubbed his eyes, the room slightly blurry. What had woken him up?

He heard the crash again, this time coming from the living room at the bottom of the stairs. He wasn't scared per say, but he could heard his father's heavy snores coming from the bedroom, matching his mother's heavy sighs.

It wasn't his parents making all that noise, so who was? His heart beat wildly in his chest. He got up and silently padded towards the door to his bedroom, his door barely squeaking as it opened. His hand paused as he saw a dark shadow leave his living room and into the kitchen. Daniel gulped, and grabbed his glasses, his vision clearing. He took a deep breath and descended the staircase, coming face to face with the shadow.

"Uncle Vlad?" Daniel asked, his heart not pounding quite as hard. Vlad's silhouette greeted Daniel's irises.

"Hello Daniel. So sorry for waking you." Vlad said. Daniel shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I hadn't been sleeping well anyway." Daniel stated, grinning as Vlad pulled him in for a hug. Danny always felt as if he shared something with Vlad, that brought their relationship closer.

"How are classes?" Vlad asked him, and they settled in at the kitchen table to exchange small talk. Danny always felt happier with Vlad.

When Daniel's mother descended the staircase, his mood soured. Vlad sensed this, sending a questioning gaze his way. Daniel excused himself under the guise that he needed to get ready for school. Vlad nodded, his eyes telling him that they'd be talking later.

Daniel was forbidden from talking about his condition, so Vlad didn't know. He couldn't tell the person he trusted the most about what his parents do to him on the daily.

Danny sighed, pulling on a t-shirt and jeans, slipping on his converse as he rubbed at his head. He opted for a more relaxed look today, no doubt to just piss off his mom. He smirked at that, ruffling his hair instead of slicking it back as usual.

Putting back on his glasses, he looked at his reflection. A normal teenage boy stared back at him, his lithe body visible underneath the tighter jeans and shirt.

He shrugged on his backpack, making sure to put in all of his school work back into the bag. He gave the mirror a smirk, feeling more confident in the comfortable clothes. He would be able to blend in more, he thought to himself.

He came back down the stairs to see his sister and parents talking excitedly with Vlad. When his mom turned, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Are you going to school like that? You look…"

"Normal?" Daniel finished, his eyes almost narrowing. His mom stopped and mulled it over. "Have a nice day sweety." She said instead.

Vlad smiled at him, giving a thumbs up. He grinned back, leaving the house and getting into his car. A black ford focus, his baby. He thought to himself what would happen if he was allowed to fly to school instead. He crushed those thoughts quickly, shaking his head as he put his bag in the trunk.

Daniel hadn't even started walking into the school yet when he got his first bit of attention. Paulina Sanchez, head cheerleader and hottest girl in school, had come up next to him and asked him if he was new.

"I haven't seen you around before." She said, batting her eyelashes. "It's s-s-still me, P-Paulina." Daniel said, watching realization pour over her latina features. "Fenton?" She asked, her posture immediately straightening, but she kept leaning on the Ford Focus.

"...Yes?" He asked, a bored expression on his face. "I'm sorry, you just look….less, weird? I guess?" She said, her latin voice pausing in the middle of the sentence.

"Y-You're right, b-but I'm still s-same o-o-old Fenton." He said, proud that he hadn't stuttered as much. Paulina mulled him over for a couple more minutes, and nodded.

"See you around." She smirked, placing her perfectly manicure hand on his shoulder, and walking away. Daniel blinked and shrugged, putting on his backpack and headed toward the library to meet up with Sam.

' _And Tucker_.' His brain corrected, but he continued walking, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the lingering stares his new appearance got.

His calculating gaze kept him on the path to the library. He opened the door, filled with nerves as he approached the table that held Sam and Tucker.

"Hey Daniel!" Sam said, her smile wide. Tucker looked up from his PDA with mild curiosity. Daniel smiled as he put down his bag, pulling out the book he had checked out from the day before. "T-That's what _I_ was going to use." He said. Sam nodded, flipping through the pages.

"We have to write a five page paper on a single constellation." Tucker told them, Sam and Daniel looking up from the book. Daniel nodded, not saying anything but already thinking of the constellation he wanted to use.

"I'm not really partial to any constellation." Tucker shrugged, his PDA laying on the table. "Same, what are you thinking?" Sam turned to Danny. He paled a bit and almost started to stutter but took a deep breath.

"I was thinking _Aquila_." He said. "It's latin for Eagle, and it's best viewed around this time, late summer/September."

Sam grinned, noticing his lack of stuttering. Tucker nodded, writing down notes. "Is there any Mythology around that?" He asked Daniel.

Daniel took another deep breath. "Aquila was the eagle that in Greek mythology actually bore Ganymede up to Mt. Olympus. The eagle was also the thunderbolt carrier for Zeus."

"How do you already know so much about this stuff?" Tucker said, fascinated. Daniel was surprised.

"Well, b-besides the fact that I'm a genius? I like space. I always dreamt of getting into the NASA space program….but I think my parents want me to stay home." Daniel said.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Your parents aren't going to have reign over you for long, Danny."

Daniel's heart skipped a beat. Sam noticed his pause at the nickname. "Sorry, Daniel, I just thought since-"

"No please, _please_ call me Danny. Daniel is so formal." Danny said quickly. Tucker watched this exchange. "So, Danny, you wanna hang out after school? Work on the Aquila project?" Tucker asked. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good." Danny smiled. Sam smiled and gathered her things. "Meet by locker 342, that's mine." She grinned.

"My locker is 341." Danny blushed. "I usually leave early though. My teachers don't care if I skip, since I have the highest marks in the class." He explained.

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Man, being a genius must be great. And coming from a family of geniuses?" Tucker smirked.

Danny kept his smile on, his eyes only conveying the apprehension for his family. Sam caught on. "I'll see you later, Danny. If you wanna sit with us at lunch since you are staying the day, we sit outside." She told him, walking off with Tucker in tow.

Danny took another deep breath and gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back. No stuttering? That was a personal record. Danny set his sights on Mr. Lancer's classroom for AP Literature. He usually didn't attend, and surprised Mr. Lancer when he walked through the door.

"Hello Daniel." Lancer said, a small smile on the face. "Are you liking _Farewell to Arms_?"

"Yes, Hemingway is a brilliant author. I've finished already, if you have the test written up!" Daniel said. Lancer nodded. "Once I have the test, I'll call you down during lunch." He smiled

Danny nodded, and got out his notebook, starting to copy the notes on the board. When Danny actually went to class, the school day flew by, and soon enough it was time for lunch. Sam waited by the door after Astronomy, allowing Danny to walk with them to lunch.

Danny didn't eat as much as everyone else, unless forced by his parents, so he scribbled in his notebook as Sam picked at a salad and Tucker munched on a burger.

"I gotta say Danny, I'm really starting to enjoy your company." Tucker smirked. Danny lifted his eyes to examine the face of the boy in question. "That's just cause you think I'm going to get your Calc. grade up from a C to an A." Danny smirked. Tucker lifted his hand in a high five, meeting Danny's hand with a sharp smack.

Sam rolled her eyes, but watched Danny carefully. Something was going on with Danny's family, and she knew it. Maybe not as much with his family, and more so with Danny.

"Why don't you tell us about yourself?" Sam suddenly said. "I kinda want to get to know you." She added.

Danny blushed, but felt concerned. Why did Sam want to know?

"Well….I come from a family of geniuses, and I have a sister." Danny shrugged. "My parents are inventors for the company GiW, but that's top secret info."

 _Oops._

"Guys in White? The ghost hunters?" Tucker's eyes widened. "Um, yeah." Danny said, pushing his glasses up self-consciously.

"Okay! Well, we know that you are kinda bored with school and-"

They were cut off by Danny's phone vibrating.

 _Mom [rec] where are you?_

Danny started putting his notebooks in his bag, smiling to his acquaintances. "My mom wants me home….she usually expects me home by now." He laughed nervously.

"Okay! We can just show up at your house after school! Fenton works sign?" Tucker asked. Danny nodded surprised. They still wanted to hang out with him, albeit with plans of working on school work. Every partner he had always wanted to work in the library or at their house.

"Okay, cool, see you then." Danny smiled, throwing his bag over his shoulder and avoided the stares that were cast his way. Maybe dressing 'hot' in Paulina's words, was not a good idea. People hadn't left him alone, even though not many words had been said to him.

He got into his car and drove off, thoughts of purple eyes planted in his brain.

…

"Hey mom." He sighed, looking up at the kitchen table, but not seeing anyone there. His mother's head popped out from the kitchen with a glare. "I thought you come home after Astrology?" She said, her hands on her hips.

"I decided to stay a bit and hang out with some, um, friends." He said. "That's the worst excuse that I've ever heard. You don't have any friends." She deadpanned.

"Wow, thanks mom, real encouraging." Danny rolled his eyes, dropping his bag on the couch. "I have an Astrology project with some other people." He explained. "I was hanging out with them at lunch before I left when you asked me where I was. I didn't know I was on such a short leash." He snapped, crossing his arms.

"You know why we have to have you home at certain times, and you've never questioned us before." His mom snapped back.

"You don't want people to know that your genius son is actually-"

" _Daniel Fenton_." His mom yelled. "I needed you home today because we are starting to get somewhere with a cure. Yes, I don't want people to know my _genius_ son is a freak. Come down to the lab with me now." She ordered, pointing at the door. Danny let his shame take over him. He'd never yelled at his mother before.

He followed her down the stairs and stared at the mess in front of him. The usually impeccable lab was covered in ectoplasm and scrap metal. "We are going to begin testing for a cure. Right now. Your increasing rebellious behavior means that the ghost has began to use the host body as his own." His mother said, her voice cold and factual.

Danny sighed. He nodded. "So what? What do you want to do?" He asked. "Take some blood for today and see if we can extract the ectoplasm from the cells without destroying any remaining human parts." His dad said, looking at bit more reluctant than his mom.

"Okay." Danny said, not wanting to meet their eyes as he sat down in the chair. His mother tapped his arm looking for a vein as his dad pulled out a disinfected needle. Danny hated needles, he always have. His dad knew that, so he kept the sharp object out of his sights.

"After this I want you to go straight to your room and work on any homework you may have and get some rest. This may make you a bit tired as well." His mother said, holding his arm in place as his father slid the needle in the vein.

Danny shuddered at the pain and looked away as the blood was collected in the beaker. He did take note, however, that his blood was a darker red than any other humans. "Jack? Maddie?" He heard from upstairs. His mother pressed her lips into a thin line and carefully strode up the stairs.

"Dad?" Danny asked and his father shrugged. "Vladdie wanted to have dinner tonight. We must have forgotten." Danny nodded, okay with the answer.

"Okay. It's a little more blood than is usually allowed to be taken from someone at a hospital, but your mother insisted keeping more samples…." His father looked away from him. Danny felt shaky and knew that his face was pale. His dad watched him in concern as he put away the instruments and helped him from the chair.

"I knew taking this much blood was a terrible idea." He mumbled to his son. Danny nodded. "Probably." He said, pulling away from his dad. "I got it from here."

His dad looked a little hurt at the apprehension but nodded and went to dealing with the sample. He walked up the stairs slowly. His mother and Vlad looked to be fighting as he entered the living room. "Hey Uncle V." He said shakily. "Daniel? My god, you look terrible."

"Yeah, just a harsh day at school. Too much attention with the wardrobe change." He lied badly, watching as Vlad's eyes narrowed.

"Maddie, you aren't telling me something about my godson and I intend to find out." He said, crossing his arms. Danny's eyes widened and he shifted his gaze to his mother. She was pale and nervous. "Daniel, please. Go upstairs. We'll call you down at dinner." She whispered. Even though only he could hear her, he nodded and climbed the stairs carefully to his room, pausing to grab his backpack.

Danny could barely keep his eyes open as soon as he sat down on his bedsheets, his eyes drooping as he stared at the floor boards. Had his parents gone a bit overboard today?

He shrugged to himself and slipped off his glasses, his vision becoming blurry as he slipped off his t-shirt and jeans, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and dipping underneath the duvet for a fitful nap.

…

"Danny?" A voice whispered, pulling him out of his dreamless sleep, he blinked his eyes open and squinted at the dark form of someone above him. He closed his eyes and felt around for his glasses, shoving them back on his face to see Sam and Tucker, looking slightly at home in his room.

"S-Sorry guys." Danny shrugged nervously, suddenly aware of his shirtless state in front of Sam.

"No problemo dude. If I went home early every day, I'd have the best sleeping schedule known to man." Tucker smirked at him as Danny pulled on the white t-shirt from this morning. "Your mom let us in, looking slightly surprised might I add." Sam said, looking concerned over in Danny's area.

Danny shrugged. "I've never had friends before. She was a bit mad that I had stayed at school today. She expects me home." Danny explained.

"...We didn't get you in trouble right?" Sam asked, pausing her digging in her backpack. Danny shook his head. "No, I haven't been in trouble since the last time I forgot to do my homework in third grade." Danny partially lied.

Sam caught it, narrowing her lilac eyes as she pulled out her laptop and unrolled a sheet of posterboard.

"Thought we could have some visuals with the essay." She said, pulling out a sharpie. "I can draw up some diagrams and pictures of the constellation, and of the mythology itself."

Tucker had already pulled out a bulky laptop, staring at Danny as he rubbed his eyes. "I can get started on the essay and you can edit as we go since I am shit at grammar?" Tuck asked.

Danny nodded and gave him his email to Tucker to share the document with him. "Daniel? Can you come down here a second?" His mother's voice wafted up from downstairs. Danny got up and stretched while walking out of his room.

"Yes?" He asked, making sure to keep his emotions toward her calm. "Are they going to stay for dinner?" She asked, a forced smile placed on her face. He shrugged. "Maybe, but probably not. They just have to work on the project with me. They probably aren't sticking around after that."

A trace of sympathy flashed through his mother's eyes as she took in the information. "I know that you want more friends, but Daniel, you are just too different then the rest of them. Your….condition…."

"Yes mom, I know." Danny snapped. "That doesn't make me socially inept."

"Well you do have the stutter."

That was the last straw for Danny. "Okay, fine. Whatever. I'll just go upstairs and continue being smart 'Daniel Fenton' and when I'm done you can just lock me in the lab for all I care. I'm done." Danny hissed, and swiftly walked away from his gaping mother.

He didn't notice, however, Sam and Tucker racing back to his room, after hearing every word.


	3. The Slight Reveal

_Sam's POV_

"What the fuck." Tucker whispered, and I immediately shushed him as the enigma himself walked through the door. He was flushed with anger, but kept a straight face, looking expectantly at me and Tucker.

Tucker cleared his throat. "So, anything specific that you want in the essay?" Danny shrugged, not seeming to want to talk. "Anything is f-f-fine." Danny furrowed his brows at his stutter, just looking more mad.

"Okay, and I'll work on the art. You can proofread everything. Meet in the library tomorrow?" I asked, wanting to give him some space.

"Yeah. See you guys later."

Tucker and I shared a look. "We can hangout a bit if you want. Not to force anything on you or anything." Tucker said. Danny shook his head. "Nah, you don't want to hang out with someone like me." He whispered, but I don't think he thought we had heard.

He instead said, more loudly this time. "It's okay. My family is having dinner with a friend tonight." He said, his eyes conveying that he didn't want us to leave, but what his mom had said had hurt him.

I grabbed my stuff and said goodbye to Danny, keeping formalities with Mrs. Fenton before exiting with Tucker in tow. "Okay Sam, what the fuck." Tucker said, falling in step with me. "Yeah..I know." I agreed.

"What is so wrong with him that his mom would say that to him?" Tucker asked. "That was really out of line."

"Yeah, but, we _don't_ know what happened to him. Everyone remembers when he was a genius, but he talked to everyone and was nice."

"It was freshman year." Tucker realized.

Freshman year was the year that happy go lucky Daniel Fenton, the genius who in middle school wrote four papers for 20 bucks a piece for Dash Baxter, suddenly secluded himself. He hid behind the large pair of glasses and his usually tan skin became a sickly pale. Nobody had known what happened.

"It may have something to do with his parents…." I whispered as we approached Tucker's house.

"He was even paler today too, like...what someone looks like when they give blood." Tucker assessed.

"You don't think that his parents conduct experiments on him, do you?"

"No...they are too smart to do that. They are able to think ahead at anything that could go wrong with what they do. Danny does it all the time. They would know that the people would find out. It's something else. I'll look into it." Tucker finally sighed.

I nodded, feeling more tired than usual. "Don't forget to send that essay to Danny." I told him.

"Okay mom." Tucker rolled his eyes, shutting his front door and leaving me alone on the steps. I felt around in my pocket for my phone. Feeling nothing in my pocket, I groaned.

"Fuck me." I said, realizing that I had left my phone on Danny's desk in his room. I took off back to the Fenton household, pausing when I heard muffled screams through the glass of the basement window.

Chills ran down my spine as I quietly tiptoed to the alley next to the window. I knelt down on the cold stone as I peered in the window. I couldn't see much of anything, just outlines of vast machinery and shapes of figures walking. I silently opened the window a crack, wondering why it wasn't locked.

"Come on, Daniel, it doesn't hurt that bad." Danny's mother said, guilt leaking through her tone. There was quiet sobbing coming from the lump on the floor. I realized that it was Danny.

"Mom please, I can't do this anymore! Just let me be different!" The broken voice called out and I felt a pang go through my chest at the pain in his voice. I wished I had my phone with me to record this, because there was no way anyone would believe me.

"Daniel, we have to fix you. It's our fault that you are this way in the first place." Mrs. Fenton sighed. "I'd rather be different than be injected with liquified blood blossoms!" Danny spat, getting up on shaky legs. "Daniel, sit down, you'll make your pain worse." Jack Fenton said from his corner, his body turned so he wouldn't have to look at his son.

"No, what'll make my pain worse is staying here." Danny cried out, and he took off up the stairs. I immediately gathered my things and went to the door and knocked silently, hearing a mumbled curse and footsteps leading toward the door.

I took a deep breath, and watched as Danny pulled open the door slowly. His eyes were red and skin blotchy, pain etched into his features as he tried to poorly hide it. "Are you okay?" I whispered. He shrugged. "As okay as I can get. Did you need something?" He asked, his voice tired.

"I left my phone here. On the desk." I said, reaching out to touch the red marks that outlined his veins as if something was injected into them. "Please don't ask." He whispered as my fingertips grazed his skin.

"I won't….but do you want to get out of here for a while? You can, I don't know, walk with me through the park or something." I whispered. "Not a good idea." He said, leaning back and disappearing through the door. I paused as he went to his room, and came back with my phone in his hand.

"Are you sure?" I asked, worry gracing my features. He nodded, looking truly confused and unsure. "I'm sure."

…

 _Danny's POV (bc I'm shit at 3rd person)_

Fuck.

I'm not usually one to cuss, because it's not very becoming of a person, but _fucking asshole shit dick_.

I closed the door on those beautiful purple eyes that _saw, she saw what had happened to me_.

What made me so confused, however, was not the way that she seen, but it was the way she seemed to want to protect me. I gulped in air after Sam's footsteps led her away from the house. My arm was still on fire, and I hurried up the stairs, tripping over my own feet into my bedroom.

"Oh no, oh no, what do I do?" I whispered to myself, hearing my parents worried tones wafting from below the stairs. Mom was going to come here. She was going to come here and make me go back down to the lab and submit myself to becoming normal, which would kill me.

Not knowing what to do, I locked my door, which was pointless. My mom could unlock using the key that's just above my door. I panicked. Why am I so scared of my own mother? She was doing this to protect me!

But was she? All of the facts pointed to that she just wanted a perfect genius son to bring pride back to the Fenton family. She would never love me truly until what she hated was gone.

I took a deep breath, knowing what I had to do. I willed myself to find that cold spot next my heart. The cold spot that my mother didn't know about, because I knew she would remove it.

I gripped that cold spot hard with my subconscious and felt the light that started at my waist, travel upwards to my head, and downwards to my feet, transforming myself into my parent's worst enemy.

I shifted my eyes towards the mirror, seeing the stark white hair and glowing green eyes, the ominous glow of my entire body illuminating the previously dark room. I felt like I was breaking the law, but I felt so so _free_. I willed myself to not laugh but cracked a smile, watching as the ghost in the mirror lit up with joy.

My mother's footsteps were closer, her delicate steps making a small tap on the steps. I unlocked the door and opened the window. As the doorknob turned, and my mother's foot visible to me, I shot out the window and into the air, gasping as I flew at top speed away from my home.

The view was breathtaking. I could see everything. The school, my house, and the large park. I flew forward, feeling the wind nip at my cheeks. My hair dangled in my face, and it took some time to get used to the white locks. I pushed off a building and flipped through the air, landing delicately on the edge of a skyscraper, sitting down and swinging my leg on the edge. I watched the sunset from here, feeling at ease for the first time in months.

I saw the Fenton RV driving through town, frantically driving and looking for me. I sighed, my moment of peace gone. I stood and kicked into the air again, flying towards my home. I flew back into my window, transforming back into normal old me.

I sighed, feeling gravity thicken over my body. I sat down at my desk and looked at my left arm, eyes widening as the red lines where the blood blossoms had been were suddenly gone. As if, transforming into my ghost form had healed my arm.

I shook my head and got to editing and adding things to Tucker's essay, as he angrily commented I was a grammar nazi (saying "Your a grammar nazi!" to which I replied "You're (;"). I laughed and immediately got a skype notification from Tucker, and answered, still laughing to myself.

We worked on the essay until my mother burst into the room, causing me to jump and look at her. "Yeah mom?" I asked, putting on the facade I had grown used to.

"Oh, nothing. Didn't know you had gotten home."

" _Dude, will you help me with Calc next?_ " Tucker's voice said from my computer, and I watched my mother's face transform into realization. She smiled a small smile and nodded. "I'll talk to you later." She said.

I took a deep breath as she closed the door, minimizing the essay and Tucker's face popped into view. "You okay man?"

"Getting there, Tuck." I sighed, running my hands through my hair and shoving my glasses back on my face. "So Calculus?" I grinned.

Tucker's worried expression transformed into happiness.

…

The next day I woke up early, and the smell of pancakes hit my nostrils. I narrowed my eyes. I got up and threw on a CHS sweatshirt and jeans, and I was lacing up my sneakers when there were light knocks on my bedroom door. My mother approached me, holding her hands in front of her, clasped tightly. "I made you breakfast….though I realize with your condition you may not be hungry right now, and that's okay…" She sighed, her face contorting to sorrow and confusion.

I smoothed out my sweatshirt and continued packing for school, shoving my laptop in my bag, and glasses on my face. "I just want to understand what you feel on a daily basis." She whispered, staying near the doorway. I didn't answer, just kept gathering my things.

"Daniel please! Don't hold back, tell me how you are! Talk to me!"

"Try to get to know me as your son rather than a lab project!" I suddenly shouted, the room dropping several degrees. My mother shivered in fear and cold, and I tried to keep myself in control. "How long have you been doing that?" She asked, apprehension in her eyes.

"You mean the cold thing? Since I was in the accident!" I said, and I could feel energy flickering throughout my body. Transforming yesterday was a mistake, and I won't be able to keep my powers below the surface. "I can usually control them more, but not when people are making me mad. I need to get to school."

"The tests we've been running, we haven't gotten far at all. Everything we try, your human cells disappeared with them. We've tried everything we can think of but nothing works, and here you are, getting worse and worse."

"Maybe I'm just evolving into what I'm supposed to be! Normal! Not some stuck up genius kid stuck in a stupid town all of his life." I snapped, my grip tightening on my backpack. The temperature of the room continued to drop steadily, as though the madder I got, the colder it got.

"Daniel, you won't be able to leave with your-"

"I HAVE GHOST POWERS MOM! DEAL WITH IT!" I shouted and pushed past her, running out the door and slamming it behind me. Passerbys looked at me in confusion, but continued walking as I got into my car and tried to keep my breathing under control.

I started my car and made my way towards the school, stopping at a stop sign were Sam was waiting. She perked up when she saw me, her hand coming up in a wave. "D-Do you need a ride to s-s-school?" I asked, blushing slightly at the stutter. She looked grateful and immediately got in the passenger seat. "Tucker will be pissed, but I don't really care." She said, relaxing in the seat.

I chuckled and slowly pulled towards the school, the two of us sitting in silence before I broke it. "So, why do you want to get to know me so bad?"

I surprised even myself when the words escaped my lips. "You intrigue me, Danny." She shrugged. "I've always wanted to get to know you since middle school, but you changed after, and became more reserved. No one, I think, knew how to approach you without you running away."

I sighed, knowing every word was true. "You can get to know me now…." I smiled sheepishly. "I can't wait." She whispered. "What happened in your lab accident?" She asked, suddenly, paling when she realized what she said.

"...I'm good with inventions and I used to help with my parents inventions before I got shocked by one." I told her. She nodded, satisfied. "Did it affect your speech? Not to be rude, but you never used to stutter."

"Possibly. We aren't really sure. Maybe I just have deep rooted self-confidence issues, who knows." I said.

"Well, I think you are great, Danny." She said. "I've always-Nevermind." She said, looking away and blushing.

"N-no, you don't get to look away and not answer. I've a-already spilled m-my guts to you." I said, only slightly irritated. She sighed. "I've always wanted to, be your friend." She said quickly, making me realize that that wasn't what she had wanted to say.

I was going to say something about it, but Tucker was suddenly in the backseat at the stoplight we were stopped at. "Hey guys, sorry. I didn't feel like walking anymore." He said, looking winded. I bit my lip and laughed lightly. "You just scared me." I said, dropping the subject with Sam, but looking back at her face, noticing the light blush on her cheeks as she looked out the window.

I pulled into the school, and the three of us piled out of the car and into the school, as I continued to feel cold.

 _I shouldn't have transformed_. I thought to myself. I looked over to Sam, and my face grew paler as I started panicking.

I was making the environment colder, and the window even fogged up as I passed it. Sam started shivering and Tucker saw his breath.

As I stood there, not feeling cold but noticing that people were shivering, I realized I had let too much power out. I shouldn't have transformed and I'm a monster.

I stopped in my tracks with a pained expression. "Danny, what's wrong?" Sam asked, rubbing her arms.

"What the hell, can someone please turn up the heat?" Dash's voice came to me from down the hall.

I looked at Sam, laughed awkwardly. "I forgot something in my car, I'll be back…" I whispered, and bolted out the door.

 _Sam's POV_

I had noticed it started getting colder the more Danny had started panicking. Had he been manipulating the temperature somehow?

When he ran out the door back to his car, the air immediately warmed up, and Tucker and I shared a glance. I watched has Danny's black car left the parking lot and went home.

"What did he do?" Tucker whispered. "I have to tell you something." I said, dragging him by the arm into the janitor's closet by Lancer's classroom.

"Yesterday I left my phone at Danny's house and went back to get it. Danny's parents had him in the basement and were experimenting on him with something. You could see it on his arm when you got close enough and he was scared. Terrified of his parents. He sobbed and cried, and his mom didn't even care! Something is going on Tuck, and I think it has something to do with his accident and how he made it colder today the more he panicked."

Tucker sat in silence as he pondered the information. "Sam that is a big theory. What if you are wrong?"

"If I'm wrong, I will give you my allowance for two months. Enough to get you that new PDA and pay off your other ones." I deadpanned. He looked up in surprise. "So what do you want to do?"

"I need to know what Blood Blossoms are." I told him. "That's what they were injecting him with."

"Blood Blossoms? Sounds like a plant, don't you think?" He said, whipping out his PDA and typing. "Yeah, but they were liquified, and caused major irritation to the vein."

"There isn't much...mostly vampire stuff….Do you think Fenton is a vam-"

"Don't even finish that sentence if you value your life. He's not a supernatural creature." I rolled my eyes.

"The only information there is, is an article from the Guys in White, a government organization. But it's blocked to the public." Tucker sighed.

"...Any lore or mythology?" I asked. "Maybe…" Tucker looked conflicted. "Everything about it has been blocked by the Guys in White. You need to work for the Government to access anything having to do with the plant Blood Blossoms. Google doesn't even work." Tucker said.

"If there is mythology, then there is a book. Come on." I said, and I pulled him along towards the library, class seeming to be less important to us both.

I felt protective of Danny now, like whatever happened to him, had something to do with me. Like our fates were intertwined.

I'm just being a fucking cliche, I swear to god.


	4. Research, Theft, and Unwarranted Gunshot

_Danny's POV_

I rushed home as soon as I could, deciding school was less important (for once in my life). If I froze everyone to death, I would be the monster that my mom always knew I would become. I exited the car, feeling more panicked as I noticed the frost building on the window. My mom immediately stopped eating her breakfast as she saw me enter the house, her face becoming worried and calculating.

"Daniel?" She asked.

"I'm making everything cold and I don't know how to stop it." I said, hyperventilating. She got up and felt the climate change. "Come down to the lab, hurry." She said. I asked no questions, and just followed her. Down to the place where I vowed I would never go willingly.

She pulled a level on the wall adjacent to the one I was standing by. Frost was steadily climbing my clothes and I started shivering. "Do you have any idea what would've happened if you had stayed in school? You could have killed everyone." She hissed, a clear box coming up from the floor. Inside was hollow, for keeping things inside.

"Unfortunately, until you can get this under control, you will need to stay in here while we figure out what to do. We don't want you freezing the town." My mother's eyes flickered to my own, and I walked slowly towards the prison. I knew I shouldn't have come home.

 _If you hadn't transformed, this wouldn't be happening. She's right. You are a monster._

I entered the cage as the thought echoed around my head, seeming to be bigger every time I thought about it. She closed the door behind me, gave me one more look of disgust, and left the lab with me in it. The box probably contained ghost energy, meaning I couldn't phase out even if I wanted to. The lab light above me flickered as I leaned against the wall, my breath coming in short gasps.

 _You are a monster_.

In my mind, My mother's cold, clinical eyes searched me, and I could practically feel the hate and mistrust leaving them.

 _This wouldn't be happening if you were normal._

I closed my eyes and fisted my hands in my hair, sliding down the wall and pulling my knees to my chest. I felt my eyes burn and knew that I was going to cry. I tried to pull myself together, but a tear slipped through my lashes and a sob wracked my body. I didn't deserve this, to be locked in a box by my mother. Not when I came home so she could help me.

I continued to cry, and the glass box started to freeze over. It was freezing inside, but I wasn't uncomfortable. My tears continued, but I looked around me at the frost covering the walls of the cell, and watched as I couldn't see the lab anymore.

 _Normal people can't do this._

I nodded to myself, and the demonic voice inside my head. Normal people can't do this.

But even in my tender moment of fear and self-loathing, I couldn't deny how beautiful the frost was.

And that I had made something _this_ beautiful.

/

 _Sam's POV_

Tucker and I were camped in the library, and with the permission from our teachers, we poured over every botany and mythology book on campus. "I'm not finding anything." Tucker groaned. "Books are supposed to store ancient knowledge, why have you mislead me?"

"Tucker, these are more current…" I rolled my eyes. I looked over to Mrs. Chap, and walked over. "Hi, I was wondering if you knew anything about the plant, Blood Blossoms?" I asked. Mrs. Chap looked confused and flustered. "I demand to know why you need to know this information." She said.

"...We are doing a project and we thought we saw something in our mythology about it." Sam gulped, never having seen Mrs. Chap so emotional.

"I know a thing or two, but I know that the mythology part is a lie….have you been...talking to ghosts?" Mrs. Chap asked.

"...No." I said, confusion set over my features. Mrs. Chap sighed and got up, the first time I've seen her leave the chair since my freshman year. "Follow me." She said, and she went to the back room. I sighed and followed her anyway, almost running into her as she appeared suddenly with an old book in her hand. "My son told me to take this out of the library. I saw you get Daniel out of his shell, so I'm giving it to you. I'm worried about that boy. He's too hard on himself." Mrs. Chap sighed.

"I know, Mrs. Chap. He's really hard to read." I told her. "He could be an open book for the right person." She smiled. "I just hope that you continue to reach out to him." She patted my shoulder and shooed me out of the room.

I clutched the book to my chest and went back to Tucker, who sat looking at me with an eyebrow raised. "What?" I demanded. "The things you do for love." He winked.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, glaring harshly at him. "I'm just saying, I think you have a thing for Fenton." He smirked.

"...Maybe so what?" I grumbled and his face brightened even more. "I knew it!"

"He's just interesting….and kind, and sweet." I said, opening up to him, and he looked overjoyed. "I ship it so hard." He groaned.

"But this isn't about me. This is about the potential abuse that Danny could be facing at home. This would be easier if we knew what his 'condition' was." I groaned, placing the book in front of us.

"A History of the Ghost Zone? What the hell is the ghost zone?" I asked Tucker. "No idea…" Tucker said, confused, but he opened the book anyway.

" _The Ghost Zone is a supernatural universe where the deceased, who are unable to move on, occupy._ " I read aloud. Tucker groaned. "I really didn't need a mythology lesson." He said.

"What do his parents do for a living anyway that they have a lab in their basement?" Tucker asked. I shrugged. "Scientists maybe?"

I flipped through the pages and stopped on a picture of a blood red rose with thorns. "Blood Blossom…" Tucker whispered.

" _The Blood Blossom plant is a naturally grown Anti-Ghost remedy. Similar to Ectoranium, the Blood Blossom is harmful if it comes into contact with ectoplasm, the common makeup of ghosts. The difference between Ectoranium and Blood Blossoms is that Blossoms do not have to come in contact with the ghost to do harm._ " Tucker read for me. "You're completely sure that you heard him say liquified Blood Blossoms right?" Tucker asked.

I nodded. "But what does this mean? Why would liquified blood blossoms hurt him?"

"I guess we need to know exactly what the Fenton's do for a living." Tucker said, closing the books in front of him and going to put them away. I shoved _A History_ into my bag and zipped it up. I got up out of my chair and followed Tucker to class.

"Did you find what you needed?" Mr. Lancer asked us, stopping his lecture. "Yes, sir." I said, sitting down.

"That's all the notes you will be taking today, students. Mr. Foley, Ms. Manson, could you come to my desk please?" He asked.

Tucker and I groaned and placed our bags down at our seats before going back to his desk. "I've noticed you two spending more time with Mr. Fenton. I would like to thank you for reaching out to aside, in class you missed that Principal Ishiyama wants the junior class to learn more about the town and the people that live here. A project you guys will be doing is to interview some citizens and ask what they do for a living." Lancer finished. "You may ask other questions as well, but try not to make it too personal."

Tucker and I looked at each other in awe. "Okay, any citizen?" I asked. Lancer nodded. "Yes. There is a list of people you may choose from, but if you already know who you would like to interview, try to make it so you don't know them. Try to avoid interviewing students and your own parents." Lancer said, and shooed us away.

"After this class, lets go bail and interview Danny's parents." Tucker said. I sighed. "That seems like it would be too easy. Danny is there and would probably get suspicious." I said.

"Not if he was acting weird. If what you are saying is right, he is either locked somewhere, or didn't go home." Tucker said. I nodded. "Okay."

/

We waited impatiently for the bell to ring, and eagerly got up and headed towards the door of the school. We headed towards the FentonWorks building, and I sighed to see the same basement window that I had snooped at the other day. "That's where I saw it. The window was unlocked so I was able to hear what was being said. Danny was also screaming his words, so I know that I heard what I heard." I told Tucker.

He looked troubled for a second before shaking his head and heading towards the front door. I knocked timidly and waited anxiously for one of them to open the door.

Mrs. Fenton quietly and slowly opened the door to size us up. "Can I help you two?" She asked, her gaze unwavering. "Hi, it's Sam and Tucker, Danny's friends-"

"Daniel is unable to hang out today, he's sick." She said, her face hardening when I mentioned her son. _Weird_. I thought.

"Yeah I know, we actually wanted to talk to you." Tucker finished for me. She seemed surprised and then she seemed fearful.

"What did he tell you?" She asked, as she dragged us through the door. "Nothing? We have a project for school that we have to interview citizens on what they do for a living, etc, and we were wondering if we could interview you." Tucker said, his voice confused.

Her mouth formed an O and she smiled awkwardly. "Thank you for choosing the Fenton's. I'm sure you guys are lovely friends for my son." She said, but I could tell she was hiding something.

"We were just wondering what you guys do for a living. The FentonWorks building is basically a mystery in Amity Park." Tucker started, already typing on his laptop. I got out the questions Tucker and I had hastily prepared so we would be able to leave school early to interview them (and get more information on what might be wrong with Danny).

"Well…" We all jumped when we heard a bang from the lap, followed by a hiss. Tucker and I looked at each other in worry.

"Sorry, that has to do with what Jack and I do. We are Ghost Hunters." Mrs. Fenton said. Tucker and I instantly looked at each other. "Ghost hunters, Mrs. Fenton?" Tucker asked.

"I know that you may not believe yet, but trust us when we say, that we have opened a portal into the Ghost Zone."

Suddenly, the book in my backpack seemed a lot more important than originally. "Wow, how cool. I'm a major lover of anything supernatural." I said, feigning excitement. I brought out my phone. "Would you mind if I took pictures of you and Mr. Fenton, possibly in your lab?"

I tried hard to look innocent, but by her flustered expression, I still looked suspicious. "...Let me go see if Jack has cleaned recently down there. Wouldn't want you guys exposed to Ecto-Radiation!" She smiled, and walked to the door, unlocked it, and disappeared down the stairs.

"Tucker, what the fuck." I whispered to him. He was paler than usual. "If...If Danny is-"

"Stop. Hold on a moment, Ghost Zone? There is no way any of these things exist." Tucker said.

"Tucker, this book is ancient, and they know everything in it." I hissed, and quieted down as soon as Mrs. Fenton came back up. "It's safe to come down here." She said, motioning us towards the door. Tucker and I stood and followed her down the metal staircase, and I was immediately overwhelmed by the size of their lab.

"Woah." Tucker gasped. "This is incredible. Is that the portal?" He asked, pointing to the large, circular object on the far wall. "Yes, this is the Fenton Portal!" A large, booming voice said from behind us. Danny's father was behind us, tinkering with a device. Next to him were jars of a red substance, almost like blood, but darker.

"Hi, Mr. Fenton, we were just learning about your guy's profession!" I smiled, my eyes shifting towards the box in the middle of the room. It looked to be frosted over, and was unable to be seen through. Something in my gut told me something was wrong.

"Splendid!" Mr. Fenton smiled, pulling my eyes back to his face. He was about to continue speaking when the phone rang. "I'll get it hun." He told his wife, and raced up the stairs. Tucker went to ask Mrs. Fenton another question, but Mr. Fenton's voice cut him off.

"Honey, they want to talk to both of us!"

Mrs. Fenton excused herself, reminding us not to touch anything without them present and raced up the stairs behind him.

"Okay, we have five minutes to find anything we need." I whispered, quietly walking around on the tile floor. My eyes kept shifting towards the large box in the center of the room, the one that seemed to emit cold when close.

"I really don't want to know what is in there." Tucker said, flipping through their files. "Hey, there is a file on Danny in here." He whispered, pulling it out. As Tucker said, was scrawled on the front in hasty looking writing. Green and red stains covered the front of the file, making Tucker and I wonder what could be on it.

I slipped the file in my bag with little protest from Tucker, taking a few pictures, and finishing the interviews with Mr. and Mrs. Fenton.

They answered enthusiastically about their profession, but when we ever mentioned their family, hell if we ever mentioned Danny, they would become cold and off putting. I ended the interview short.

"Thank you, that's all we needed. Tell Danny we said to Get Well Soon." I enunciated the Get Well Soon, watching as Mr. Fenton's face contorted into guilt, and Mrs. Fenton refused to show any emotions.

Tucker and I left the house, Danny's file still secure in my backpack, and rushed to my home. "Did you have a good day Samantha?" My mother called out to me. "Yes! Thank you! See you at dinner!" I called out, and rushed up the stairs with Tucker in tow.

"We stole from Danny's house, that is THEFT!" Tucker panicked. He had barely been able to pull it together during the rest of the interview, preferring to go ahead and write down the answers rather than ask the questions. I pulled out the book and Danny's file and placed it on my desk.

"Everything we haven't thought of being wrong with him is in this." Tucker sighed, lightly ghosting a finger down the file. I placed my hands on the desk and went to open the folder.

/

 _Danny's POV_

I waited patiently in my cell, playing with my breath because I could see it. My parents hadn't checked on me in a while, and I had thought I had heard other voices in the lab at one point. Especially after my parents left the room.

I had willed the curiosity away, playing the frost on the walls instead of investigating. If it was someone unfriendly, I wouldn't want them to see me in a cell that was coated in frost.

My core wasn't slowing down the cold process, and I was starting to give up hope when my mother, bundled up in a coat and scarf over her jumpsuit, entered the cell.

"...You can come out now." She mumbled. "The only thing for you to do is to release some of your ice powers, and hope for the best." She sighed. She put on her goggles and stood in the corner. "Just aim away from me. The best way to conduct research now is to watch how you use your powers."

"Mom, I haven't used them! I don't know how!" I slightly lied. I knew how to use them in the ghost form that my parents didn't know that I had. I didn't know how to use them as a human.

"Just try to expel all the cold out, I guess." She shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you." She said, disgust plain in her eyes. She was trying to hide it, but was doing a bad job of it.

"Mom…" I sighed, feeling my breath escape my lips and float upwards. Her eyes watched it, looking sad as it reached the top.

"Use them." She suddenly snapped. I jumped back in surprise. "I just told you I don't know how!" I glared.

She rolled her eyes. "Use them. You say that they are apart of you, so use them!" She yelled at me. I started to get upset, feeling the temperature drop even more. I wasn't mad, I was sad.

"DANNY USE THEM!" She shouted, wiping out a gun and pointing it at me. I froze in my place, staring at the gun pointed at my chest.

She energized it, and continued to point it at me. I raised my hands. "Mom, please stop!" I cried, tears starting to roll down my face out of fear.

She fired and I suddenly brought ice up in front of me to catch the blast. A piece of the ice broke off and struck me across the face. I cried out, feeling blood start to flow down my face.

My mom sighed. "There you go...You should be fine now." She said, and left the lab. I sat on the ground of the cell behind the ice wall and covered my face in my hands, feeling blood continue to well out of the cut on my face.

I got up and raced to my room, ignoring my sister's protests and my dad's confused questions. I locked myself in my room and vowed that I would never, ever, come to my mother for help again.

That if I had to, I would defend myself in every I knew how.

/

 _Lol cliffy on the sam and tuck thing but you'll find out eventually._


	5. The File and the Bromance

/

 _Sam's POV_

The first thing in the file, was a picture. It was yellow and looked aged, of a baby Danny in his father's arms. Strange stains, possibly from tears, were on the photo. Like someone had cried in memory of the boy on the picture. His mother was in the background, asleep.

Tucker and I looked at each other, not speaking. We looked back down at the photo, moving it aside carefully, as if we would damage it if we were forceful. The next page was a hospital analysis, labeled _January 7th, 1998_.

 _Certificate of Birth_

 _Name: Daniel James Fenton_

 _Parents: Madeline Renee Fenton and Jack Wesley Fenton_

 _Hospital: Amity Memorial Hospital_

"Why do they keep his birth certificate in the file?" Tucker asked, his voice a quiet whisper. He was shaking, out of fear or anticipation….I wasn't sure.

I moved the birth certificate to the side, holding my breath as a different hospital analysis came up. This one from just two years ago.

 _Patient: Daniel James Fenton_

 _Analysis: Internal bleeding in various places, scarring on his vocal tissue, possibly from screaming. Electrocution scars on back and chest, and on various appendages. Seemingly asleep, but will twitch from time to time._

 _Report:_

 _Daniel was helping his parents out in their Ghost Hunting Laboratory, and stepped inside the portal to get a closer look to see why it wasn't working. Tripping over wires, he hit the on button on the inside. Neither Madeline or Jack know how long he was in there, claiming time slowed when he was screaming._

 _They seem to be under major duress, hoping that their son will wake up soon. There are slight hints of some substance in his blood, but no major symptoms arise that need looking after. When he wakes up, he may experience permanent disabilities, such as a stutter or possibly be unable to speak, due to the scarring of the vocal tissue and the prolonged electrocution._

Tucker and I paused as I read the report. "He was inside that huge machine when it turned on?" Tucker asked me. I groaned in frustration.

"I feel terrible that this happened to him, but there is nothing on this page about the condition his parents constantly beat him up for." I said.

Tucker read over the report, his eyes lighting up. " _Slight hints of some substance in his blood_." He pondered. "Maybe he has something in his blood?"

"Possibly." I sighed. I didn't get it. Nothing in this file made it seem like he was some freak of nature. He was just a kid that got electrocuted and could have died. That would have made me appreciate his life that much more.

I set that aside with his birth certificate and the picture, coming across what looked to be a typed journal entry.

Tucker beat me to it, grabbing the paper and reading it quickly. I looked at the pictures underneath the paper, gasping as there was a picture of Danny, strapped to a chair, crying, while his eyes glowed neon green.

"Sam, he apparently started showing signs of 'a ghostly entity harboring his body'. Now I don't know what the hell that means…"

I held up the picture. "Meaning he has a ghost in his body? I know a little bit about Overshadowing from that book over there, but he wouldn't have a stutter. It would be the ghost's voice." I told him.

"Maybe the ghost had the stutter?" Tucker offered. "No...The doctor's report clearly stated that Danny would possibly have a stutter."

"If his parents are ghost hunters….and he has ghost energy inside him or _something_ , then they are experimenting on him." I decided.

Tucker sighed, moving the pictures and coming across another report, from a few days earlier. " _Danny believes that the ghost is apart of him, and every attempt to get rid of the mutation would end up killing him. He firmly believes that we should accept him for who he is, rather than try to fix him._

 _I firmly believe that while this ghost may be wearing my son's face, it is trying to save its own skin, using my son's voice. I have no sympathy for this ectoplasmic entity. It needs to be destroyed._

 _Dr. Madeline Fenton._ " Tucker read.

"Every attempt to get rid of a genetic mutation _would_ kill him though." I sighed. Tucker shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

I sighed. We jumped as my phone starting ringing, the Caller ID showing us _Daniel Fenton_.

"Hello?" I asked, Tucker pausing from reading. I told him to continue as I left the room, Danny talking softly in my ear.

" _Hey….Are you doing anything right now? I kinda want to g-g-get out of my house….and, uh, I don't really ha-have any f-friends besides you and Tucker._ " He said in my ear. My heart wrenched out of sympathy.

"Well, Tucker is over right now-"

" _Oh I understa-_ "

"And you can come over too….we can work on the rest of the essay that you could proofread and fact-check." I said, a smile on my face and my voice. I heard a sigh of relief. " _Thank you...I'll be over soon. Any oth-other s-s-school things that you would like to work on?_ " He asked.

"Tucker may want Calc help, but it can wait if you want to talk about anything." I told him. There was a pause.

" _Maybe…._ " He said, and I heard talking in the background. The talking was muffled and sounded apologetic, making me realize something must have happened when he went home.

" _No, Mom, I'm just going to Sam's._ "

In that moment, his voice was hard and sharp, like he was scared of the person he was talking to. I've never heard him more serious and dangerous in the time that I've talked to him.

" _I'll see you soon_." He said, his voice normal and calm, and then the line disconnected. I sighed and came back in the room. "We can't tell him we know yet…" Tucker said.

"We don't know exactly what's going on, either." I continued. "We need more time…" I said, placing my face in my hands. "Tucker, he told someone he was coming over, and he seemed….apprehensive."

Tucker cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"...He was scared of whoever he was telling that he was coming over." I told him. "Wait, Danny is coming over?" Tucker said, immediately shoving the documents and pictures back into the stained folder.

"Yeah, sorry...I'm just worried about him. We barely know him, yet I want to protect him." I whispered. "And no, this feeling has nothing to do with my feelings toward him." I glared at Tucker.

"From my understanding, Danny doesn't seem dangerous." Tucker decided. "Whatever he is, we stand by him…" I told him.

A knock on the door stopped our conversation short, and I immediately went downstairs. "Hey Sam." He said.

He had a gnarly cut on his face, which was bruising significantly. I could hardly contain my gasp. I dragged him in my house, his face contorting in surprise.

"Have you cleaned that? What happened?" I asked. He looked like he didn't know what to say, and was starting to panic. I stopped at the top of the stairs, and looked back at him. He looked at his shoes, his face pale and terrified. "Hey, you don't have to tell me, okay?"

He looked up and nodded, opting to be silent rather than speak. I pulled him into my bathroom, ignoring suggestive stares from Tucker.

I opened the cabinet to my first aid kid, motioning him to sit down on the edge of my tub. He was blushing and not meeting my eye as I pressed my fingers to the cakey blood, making sure he wasn't still bleeding.

"I don't know why you didn't clean this before you stepped outside. It could get infected." I told him, pulling up my stool, and sitting down while dabbing a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol.

"This is going to sting a little bit." I told him, pressing the ball to the cut. He hissed a little bit, but stayed silent, watching me steadily with his full attention. I felt my face heat up as I continued to clean the cut, and then taping a butterfly bandage to his cheek. We stayed in the position a minute more, watching each other. I could feel his breath on my cheek, that's how close we were in that moment.

Tucker knocked on the door, making Danny accidentally fall in the bathtub and drag me with him with a screech.

Tucker opened the door and immediately started wheezing. "What the hell happened in here?" He laughed and the paused. "Wait, I don't want to know." He continued. I stood up and went to help Danny.

"You guys are a pair of, uh, LOVEBIRDS!" He laughed.

"We are not lovebirds!" Danny and I shouted at the same time. We blushed and made no effort to make eye contact after that. Danny looked happy, though. So it was worth it.

/

 _Danny's POV_

I've started taking note of everything that makes me happy. It's a small list.

The Stars: Ever since I was little, I've loved the night sky. I used to dream of being an astronaut, and I still kinda do…. But… I know that my parents wouldn't let me go that far away from them before I'm healed from my 'freakiness'.

My sister: Jazz has always loved me unconditionally, even after my accident. She never gives up on me, and makes sure I always feel loved. With her at the high school interning to be a psychologist, and then taking Pre-Psych courses at the local college...I haven't seen much of her.

Sam.

Yep… Sam is on my list, slowly moving her way up to number one. I didn't know why but, she actually cared about me. And the moment a couple hours ago in her bathroom….

I was going to kiss her. I don't know why.

I've never had an actual crush on really anyone before. I had one on Paulina, but only because I thought she was beautiful. She crushed me after freshman year by inviting me to the school dance, and then never showing up. That was the last dance I went to.

I know for a fact, however, that I am definitely crushing on Sam. She is kind, caring, and compassionate. The fact that she can be a goth without worrying what others have to say about it makes me want to be like her. There are times where I could see her liking me back, from the way she looks at me, and the way that Tucker teases her about it.

But then I remember that I'm a monster, and that she wouldn't accept me. I quieted down after the moment in the bathroom, wanting to proofread the essay Tucker had written. It was well written, and after I added my portion to it, it was ready to turn in. The project wasn't due until the end of the week, but it was good to have it done. Tucker was bummed that I didn't bring my calculus book with me, but I just laughed at him when Sam kicked his shin after he complained.

As the day grew darker, my anxiety became apparent to even Tucker. Holding a conversation with me was pointless, because I just got distracted by the way the sky darkened. "Hey, do you not want to go home tonight?" Tucker suddenly asked me. My eyes snapped to his, and I was surprised to see him not flinch. My eyes have always been very sharp and calculating, and people seem to be intimidated by them.

"Uh...not particularly, no." I said, sighing. I rubbed my arms with my hands, wishing that I could feel some of the chill from earlier this day, because then my mom wouldn't have attacked me, and I wouldn't be scared of going home.

"You could stay at my house…" Tucker offered, smiling softly. "My parents wouldn't mind if I told them you were having issues at home."

I paled slightly and coughed. "I mean, it's not like they are abusing me or anything." I said, feeling trapped suddenly. Tucker nodded. "Of course not."

Sam didn't answer. "Sam, they aren't abusing me." I told her, looking her in the eye. They weren't really, at least to their knowledge. "Whatever you say." She told me.

I picked up on the fact that they knew something. They knew something big, and I could tell Tucker was having trouble _not_ asking me something. I stared at them, willing one of them to say something to me. I sighed and shrugged.

They'll tell me eventually. They'll have to if they _know_.

Tucker got up and I helped him gather some of his stuff. Sam wished us goodbye, but grabbed my wrist before I had the chance to walk out of the house. "If you need to talk about anything….let me know." She whispered, pulling me into a hug. I don't know if she felt how cold I was, or that my heart skipped a beat when she embraced me, but I found myself tightly hugging her, and having to force myself to let go.

"See you tomorrow, Danny." She said. I nodded, and headed into my car, where Tucker was already sitting and smirking at me as I started the vehicle. "What?" I demanded, looking at him as I packed out of her driveway. "Do you like her?" He asked, that smirk still wide on his face. I looked at him in exasperation. "Is n-n-now the time for this q-q-question?" I asked, my face turning slightly red.

"You _do_ like her don't you?" He grinned. I blushed even more. "K-Kinda." I mumbled to myself. Before he could say anything else, I cut him off. "Do you mind if I run to my house for some clothes?"

He nodded, looking slightly worried. "Do you also mind if you came inside with me so my mom doesn't ask a lot of questions?" I said as I neared my house. "Of course man." He said, unbuckling his seatbelt as I put my car in park and exited it. I could see the light to the lab was on, and I shuddered a bit before Tucker and I started up the stairs to my front door.

"I know that you guys are smart, and I know that you guys know something." I said suddenly, my voice dark. Tucker looked at me, guilty and about to speak, when I opened the door. My mother was in the living room, not seeing Tucker at first.

"Daniel, I'm sorry about your face." She said, in a not caring wayl. Tucker entered the house and looked in shock from my face to my mom, who was frozen. "It's fine. I'm just grabbing clothes." I told her shortly, going up the stairs with Tucker in tow.

"...Your mom did that to your face?" He asked. I nodded. "Who else?" I mumbled. "They aren't abusing me, they just think that they are helping. I don't know what you know, but the fact that you aren't running away screaming knows that you don't know much." I said darkly, my eyes flickering green for a second. I knew that Tucker saw this, judging by the way his mouth opened in understanding, but I just packed a bag, grabbed my backpack, and went back outside the door.

"Did you ask me if you could spend the night somewhere?" My mom demanded, her arms crossed from her place on the couch, watching us as we descended the staircase.

"No...but given the fact it's for school, I think I should be fine." I told her, Tucker pausing at the front door.

"Daniel...it's a school night." She said, her eyes telling me to stay put where I was. "Yeah, and we have to get going if we are going to get to bed at decent time." I said, stopping the conversation firmly and leaving the house.

Tucker didn't say anything during the drive to his house, but I could tell he had questions. "Why does your mom do this to you?" He finally asked, his voice soft and concerned. I sighed. "Because she doesn't think I should exist. Maybe sometime I'll tell you why." I told him. I'm not stupid, I know they knew something….I just didn't know what.

We went into his house, and after him introducing me to his parents, I was sitting on the floor of his room watching him play a video game. I was working on homework while he was doing this. We sat in comfortable silence. It was starting to get late, and Tucker still had no sign of being tired.

"Dude?" I asked. He jumped and looked over, pausing at the same time. "Yeah?"

"It's one a.m." I yawned. I had been dozing a bit while watching him play after getting done with calculus and checking Tucker's calculus. He rubbed his eyes. "Thanks man, I would have forgotten and stayed up until it was time to leave. I'll have to teach you how to play this man." He laughed, throwing me a blanket and pressing a button, a spare bed flinging from under his own.

"Woah." I blinked. "A invention of my own creation. It wasn't hard, but it comes in handy." I laughed.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Well you couldn't have stayed at your crush's house, who knows what you would have done…" Tucker smirked. I rolled my eyes, lying down as he turned out the light.

"I think I almost kissed her today." I told him, not knowing why he would care. "Did you?" He asked, sounding slightly happy.

"Yeah, when she was cleaning my face. I don't know, Tuck. I really like her." I told him. "I'm sure she likes you too."

"Nah, she couldn't like me. I'm too...different. Who I am…. _what_ I am….I could hurt her." I whispered. Tucker didn't know what to say, but as I turned around to close my eyes, Tucker patted my back.

"You won't know if you don't try. Fuck your parents dude, just stick with us….We'll keep you safe."

I fell asleep feeling more reassured than I have in a long time.


	6. The Hero Arrives

_Oh look a notorious foreverphantom time skip_

 _I'm sorry it was needed_

/

 _(Danny's POV)_

 _3 Months Later_

I woke up with a groan on Tucker's spare mattress. His hand was on my mouth, and I glared at the appendage. I closed my eyes again, reaching for my glasses, and suddenly, Tucker was on top of me.

I huffed out a breath as I was crushed beneath my best friends weight. "Tucker." I hissed, and he woke up suddenly….and started cracking up.

"HAhahaaha, sorry dork." He laughed. I cracked a smile and rolled my eyes, pushing him off of me.

"Boys! Breakfast!" I heard Tucker's mom yell up. I got up and rubbed my eyes, sliding my glasses on my face. Tucker ran to the bathroom, and I threw on a dark red t-shirt, my light wash skinny jeans that Sam got me, and my white converse. I ruffled my hair and ran down the stairs, saying hello to Mrs. Foley.

"Hello Danny!" She smiled, flipping eggs onto the plate. "Do you feel like eating today?" She asked, her face worried. I wasn't hungry at all, so I shook my head. My ghost half had been acting up lately since I haven't used any powers, and I was almost never hungry. She shook her head. "You are a stick young man." She joked.

I smiled smally. The only time I wasn't my new confident self was when adults talked to me. I hadn't spent that much time with my family since my mother shot at me, the cut having healed fast. Sam and Tucker had noticed that, but didn't say anything.

After that, all of my time was devoted to helping them with stuff, and hanging out with them. They took me into their group, and I could easily call them my best friends. Tucker and I were closer, just because I had romantic feelings with Sam.

I still like Sam, like a lot. Every time I feel like I'm about to tell her, something happens and I can't. My anxiety comes back and I just walk away after saying goodbye. I would come to Tucker's house, complain, and then tutor him in calculus.

There was one thing that I had noticed that had also changed.

Ghosts were coming into Amity Park.

Suddenly, everyone in my family was in the limelight as the only real experts on ghosts in the town, and my parents were at meetings every week with the mayor and citizens on how to control them.

I think Tucker would notice that whenever I wouldn't be staying at his house, it's because my parents would be working late. When my mother was home, however, I was in the lab. They had ghost-proofed it so that no ghost could get out, meaning the only way I could leave was human. I was still afraid to use my powers out of the fact they could spiral out of control, but now that Ghosts were a menace in the town, the search for my cure was on.

Which was why I was _that_ much closer to telling Tucker and Sam my secret. I had noticed, the other day, that they had a file in Sam's room that was meant to be hidden….and it looked like my parents file on _me_. My mom and dad had gotten in a fight the other day, because my mom accused my dad of losing the file.

I knew about the file, because I had to look in it from time to time to get them documents. Hell, my birth certificate was in there. But now it was gone, and inconspicuously hidden in Sam's room.

I hoped they would draw the conclusion themselves, but they didn't really know about Ghosts, so I would have to connect the dots for them. Although, Sam _also_ has ' A History of the Ghost Zone' on her bookshelf.

They were trying...I would give them that.

Tucker came down the stairs minutes later, dressed, and inhaled his breakfast. "Danny will you be staying again tonight?" Mrs. Foley asked. I shook my head. "My mom actually wants me home for a change….I'll probably see you after school, though." I told her, smiling. She brought me into a hug. "Anytime, Danny, Remember that." She told me, shaking a finger in my face.

I think she picked up on the fact that I didn't want to be home, and by the grin on Tucker's face, he hadn't told her. "Let's go, smarty boy." Tucker said, shoving me out the door. "Hey." I protested.

"We still have to go pick up your damsel." He winked. Tucker _still_ teased me about Sam, and even accused me of having 'impure thoughts' about her at night.

….I always had no comment to those sentences.

What? I may be a genius, but I'm still a teenage boy with teenage hormones.

I rolled my eyes with a blush, and started my car. We took off down the street to Sam's house. She was waiting outside in a black t-shirt and jeans, with her boots strapped to her feet. The necklace I had gotten her for her birthday was around her neck, a clear skull pendant on a black velvet choker, and she greeted us with a smile.

"Hey guys, how are my favorite boys?" She asked, leaning over the front seat to talk to us. I could smell the perfume she was wearing, and it overwhelmed my enhanced senses. I coughed slightly and blushed, paying attention to the road. Tucker smirked. "We are swell. Daniel slept like a baby last night."

I turned my head sharply, hating to be called Daniel nowadays. "Thanks Tucker." I rolled my eyes. "I'm well, how are you today?" I asked her. She smiled. "Actually I'm good," I slightly winced at the bad use of language, "Shut up, you nerd. My parents had to leave this morning so they didn't wake me up!" She smiled.

Her parents were basically my parents. They cared about what people thought of their daughter, and were trying to change her to match what they were. I think that is why I connect with her so much, only she _can't_ leave when it gets bad.

"Have you talked to your parents recently?" Sam asked me. I shook my head. "They've been busy trying to get the ghosts not to attack." I mumbled. I pulled into the school and shut off my car after parking. "The only time I see them is when they are ex-um, expecting me home." I said, almost saying 'experimenting'. I saw Tucker and Sam look at each other and look back at me.

Sam sighed and placed her hand on my shoulder. "It'll be fine Danny. If they do anything really bad, you can stay with me." She told me. "Or, stay where he is now, with me." Tucker rolled his eyes. "He's my first guy best friend, let me be attached to him." He said, shouting slightly.

I laughed. "Come on, we are going to be late for class."

Something that hadn't changed about me, was that I was still a genius. I was _still_ the head of the class and didn't have to go to class if I didn't want to, but I think Lancer liked seeing me there, with friends. He never really said that, but I could see it when he smiled at me.

I was ahead in all of my classes, so the classes I didn't share with Tucker and Sam, I was in the library.

Which is where my first period was. I said goodbye to Tucker and Sam, and left for the library, saying hello to Mrs. Chap. "Hello Danny!" She said, smiling wide. "Hey Mrs. Chap!" I greeted, and immediately went into the 'restricted section' of our library. It was kind of like the one from Harry Potter, but Mrs. Chap let me go in no matter what. I grabbed a book titled _Ghosts and their Obsessions_ and opened it. I had been researching all I could of ghosts since I had accepted what I was.

I brought it to the small desk in the corner of the room and read through it, Mrs. Chap coming in to check on me from time to time. I was on chapter 3 'Figuring Out a Ghosts Obsession' when a chill ran through my spine. I felt some chilly air climbing up my throat, a blue whisp coming out of my mouth.

I watched it as it traveled away and disappeared, and then all hell broke lose. I heard screaming down the way, and the lights flickered before going out. I looked around me, and immediately went to check on Mrs. Chap. "Daniel! Get to the gym!" She called to me, already heading out the door. I ran down the way towards the gym, pausing when I saw my parents inside.

I shouldn't have paused, because suddenly I was grabbed and thrown into a locker. I immediately thought it was Dash, but glowing green eyes made me pause. "Hello boy. Are you the ghost hunters son?" The metallic, robotic voice asked me.

"Yep, that's me. Whether I want to be or not." I told him, getting up. There was no way that I could even think of getting to the gym in time for him not to slaughter me.

I thought about screaming for help, but he was watching me too closely. I took a deep breath, I would have to use my powers.

He watched me with a smirk, a large knife extracting itself from his suit. "I'm Skulker, Ghost Zone's greatest hunter." He told me. "The first ghost to finally slip past your idiotic parents."

I almost rolled my eyes. "Surely, boy, you must have heard of me." He smirked.

"It's hard to get told things by your parents when they hate what you are." I smirked, at him, standing suddenly and transforming. 

"W-What?" He looked terrified for three seconds, before my ghost form was fully in front of him. "...A half ghost…." He pondered that for a second. "Figures that your parents would experiment on a child…."

I rolled my eyes, holding my hand out in front of me. "Try again." I said, shooting an ectoblast from the palm of my hand, watching as he phased into the gym. I paused, not knowing what to do next, when large metal hands picked me up and threw me through the door.

I hit the doors hard and burst through them, surprising the students and teachers waiting in the gym. I slid on the ground, and phased out of sight as Skulker tried to get his hands on me again. The students were screaming, and Skulker smirked.

He looked around as I watched invisibly, as he raised a hand towards the students. I panicked and flew forward quickly and raised my hands, hoping to make a shield. My parents were moving quickly towards the scene, pausing when they saw me (hopefully they don't think it's _me_ ) protecting the students. The shield got some awed gasps as Skulker scoffed. "Why do you protect them?"

I looked at my parents, who still hadn't been able to get their weapons to work. "...Because someone has to." I said finally, a determined look set upon my features. "The Ghost Hunters that were assigned to make sure ghosts like _you_ don't leave the zone are obviously inadequate." I said, my large vocabulary seeping through. My parents looked angry, my dad mumbling to himself as my mom glared at me.

I shot another ectoblast, flying up into the air and flying out, Skulker flying close behind, not getting far as my parents sucked him into a thermos. "...Thank you for following all ghost drill procedures." My mom mumbled, starting to leave the gym with my father close behind.

Quickly, I went back into the hallway, where Skulker had shoved me into the lockers, transformed and sat down on the ground. I knew my back was bruised from the impact, so I waited until my parents opened the door.

"Danny!" My mom shouted, crouching down in front of me. "Hey mom. Did you catch him?" I asked.

"Yes….with unexpected help. Did it attack you?" She demanded. I nodded. "Was running into the gym when I was grabbed from behind." I told her.

Her gaze turned cold and hard. "Which one?" She asked suddenly. "The metal one. The one with white hair came suddenly as the other one was going to kill me with a knife." I told her.

She sighed. "Do you see why we want to get rid of your condition. It's dangerous. You probably attract them." Her lip curled up in disgust.

"Mads, come on. He just got attacked." My dad said, looking confused at her actions. He helped me up and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Do you want to come home?" He asked me.

I smiled. "Nah, can't give up that easy."

He smiled and hugged me. "No ghost can take out these Fenton boys!" He smirked, and grabbed mom and left. My mom had watched the interaction with a glare at my father. Something told me my dad was more on my side than I had originally thought.

I watched them leave, sadness in my eyes for a moment, before swiftly turning away, and heading into the gym.

"Oh my god! Danny! Are you okay? Where were you? Are you hurt?" Sam's voice was fast in my ears. For a moment, I thought about telling her everything. What had happened, what I did, and how I protected her, but I closed my mouth and smiled with a sigh.

"I'm fine." I told her. "I just got attacked on my way to the gym."

Her mouth opened with a surprised expression. "Did you get hurt?" She asked me, concern plain in her features.

I winked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were actually concerned about me."

She punched my shoulder. "You know that I am!" She got closer to me. "I get worried about you….when you didn't come into the gym...I don't know."

"I honestly didn't want to come in here because of my parents…so I paused outside of the door, and got grabbed by the metal ghost." I told her.

"Did the teen ghost save you then?" She asked, something suspicious in her eyes. I just winked and went to walk away. The gym was almost empty, the people around us moving into their second period, gossiping about what had happened in the last twenty minutes.

Sam moved to grab my hand, startling me. She turned me back around and looked into my eyes deeply. "Are….Are _you_ -"

"Sam, Danny, _Let's go_!" Tucker's voice startled us, making us jump back from each other again. I growled slightly. _This_ close to telling her.

"Coming." I snapped, walking away with Sam. Sam was blushing and looked just as agitated as I sounded. "Jeez, who shit in your cornflakes."

"No one I don't eat breakfast." I told him, rolling my eyes as I started on the path to the library. "Maybe if you ate breakfast, you wouldn't be so angry."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you feel like going to Calc today? I gotta talk to you, and I can just say I'm tutoring you in the library." I told him. He sighed in relief. "Thank god. Mrs. Yeu was kicking my ass about those homework assignments." He said, heading into the Calculus room. I turned to Sam.

I blushed and stammered. "Uh-do you want me to walk you to class?" Sam blushed and nodded, and we started walking to her bio class. "So uh, about today….I don't know….I'm so close to telling you but I'm so scared." I told her, not caring that people were in the hallway with us.

She sighed. "Whenever you feel comfortable enough, you'll tell me." I shook my head. "No, it's not you….it's the fact I think that you won't be able to accept me." I said quietly.

She took my hand in hers. "Danny….I know that no matter what I will accept you. I accept you for being a genius prat, so I can accept you for this to."

We stopped in front of her class room. She kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand, letting go and disappearing into the classroom. I sighed and walked back towards the library, my cheek tingling where her lips had been. I must have been smiling like an idiot, because when Tucker showed up next to me, with a questioning gaze, I didn't really notice.

"Dude?"

"..."

"Dude? You there? What's with the stupid grin?"

I looked over to him, coughed and blushed. "So Calculus?" I asked him, walking faster towards the library. "You are one weird kid." Tucker called back to me, but I just turned around and smiled. "And you love me anyway."

"You're right dude...You're right."

/

 _(Tucker's POV)_

Calculus isn't that hard to grasp.

But what _is_ hard to grasp is the fact that I think my best friend is a ghost.

/

 _lol fuck with me_


	7. Revelations

_ITS BEEN SEVEN CHAPTERS AND THEY HAVEN'T KISSED_

 _IT MUST END_

/

 _(Danny's POV)_

The day ended quickly, after my conversation with Sam, with the PDA involved. I decided that I was going to tell them soon….but not yet. Not after the events that had happened today.

Turns out, the more I had walked around, the more I like I had been thrown around by a ghost. Tucker and Sam glanced worriedly at me during gym, and I just winced and waved them off. Tucker looked at me like he finally knew, and I hoped he did. It would make it so much easier to tell Sam if I had Tucker on my side.

I'm not clueless, I can pick out most things that others can't. I know when Tucker knows about me, and I know that Sam likes me back. I'm just scared that things will change when I confront these things. I don't want things to change. For the first time in my half-life, I have best friends, and I'm not scared to be myself.

So I find myself dropping off my friends and going home to my messed up family. I opened my front door, and was confronted by the surprised face of my mother. "Daniel…" I winced slightly. "I didn't know that you were coming home today."

"I mean, this is still my house right?" I glared at her. She glared right back at me. "Now that you are home, I guess that we can resume testing?" She asked, giving me a dangerous smile. My dad stuck his head out from the lab, taking in the scene before him. "Maddie, I'm sure that he has homework he could be doing." He said, and I gave him a grateful smile.

"Yeah….I have to read a couple chapters of _Lord of the Flies_ for my English class." I told her. She rolled her eyes. "Knowing you, you already have the chapters done. Come on, you are never home anyway." She said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me down to the basement.

My relief suddenly turned to fear as the chair I was usually strapped in was in the center of the room. "We will make progress, whether we have to cut you open or not." She hissed in my ear.

I took a tentative step backwards, watching her in complete disbelief. "And what? Turn me into even more of a lab rat?" I asked. My dad looked at my mom, who was watching me with cold eyes. "If that's what it takes to fix you." She sighed.

My dad just shook his head. "I'm going to go make sure the beakers are in line." He mumbled, going to the other side of the lab as my mom led me away from the chair.

"Mom? What are you doing?" I asked, looked over to the chair. "You aren't on the chair today….you're on the table. I'm not joking Daniel. We will vivisect you if it comes down to it. It won't matter anyway, if you and the ghost are one, you are no longer entitled to basic _human_ rights." She snapped.

That hurt.

I gasped, sadness coming over me entirely. "I don't my son to have to live with the fact that half of him is an ectoplasmic waste of space."

She strapped my arms down onto the table, leaving my legs unhindered. She pulled out a syringe filled with ectoplasm, finding my vein and injecting the mixture. "Pure ectoplasm injected into human blood."

"Findings?" My father asked from his place at the data table. I could feel the unfamiliar ectoplasm fighting with my blood, my regular ectoplasm fighting off the new substance. I could feel my eyes glowing green.

"Blood seems to fight back against the new concentration. Eyes glowing green." My mother said, slipping on her goggles.

"What's next, Mads?" My dad asked quietly. "Healing ratio." She stated, pulling out a scalpel and placing it on my arm.

"What?" I was able to ask before she was cutting a shallow cut in my skin. I grunted against the cold pain, watching as blood bubbled up to the surface. My mother watched in fascination as the skin put itself together and the cut closed. "A minute thirty seconds for a small shallow cut."

My dads pencil scribbled quickly across the room as I breathed heavily. "...Starting deep cut." My mom breathed in and out and prepared myself for the cut.

It was painful, more painful that I could have thought. I screamed suddenly as my mom harshly dragged the blade across my skin. It cut deeply, and I couldn't see any remorse my mom had for me if there was any, because her goggles covered her eyes, allowing me to see my reflection.

I had tears running down my face as the cut painfully closed, continuing to cry with phantom pains. "P-pl-please stop. I-I-I'll do anything." I pleaded with her. I watched her hesitate with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but these things have to be done…." She whispered, running the scalpel down my arm and immediately pouring a red liquid inside.

The pain was worse. Oh _so_ much worse. "Pouring liquified blood blossoms into cut makes the healing factor slow to a crawl, but still considerably faster than normal human processes." My mom said, her voice shaky.

I was still screaming loudly at this point, tears rolling down face heavily. "Please mom STOP!" I screamed.

My dad promptly left the room, my mom watching him go. She removed her goggles, her eyes wet. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, before unbuckling my arms and going back upstairs away from me. I collapsed on the floor, my breath coming quickly to me as I held my arm. I raced up the stairs and out the front door, and no one complained or stopped me. I got in my car and started it, driving down the road and towards Sam's house. I didn't want to bother Tucker again.

The pain wouldn't stop, so the tears wouldn't stop, and I'm sure I looked like a mess, but I parked my car on the side of the street by Sam's house and got out, sobbing quietly and ignoring the looks thrown in my direction. I knocked on the door, trying to pull myself together.

"Hey Dann-Are you okay?" Sam was a vague blur in front of me, my tears blinding my vision. Sam didn't ask anymore questions as she pulled me up the stairs into her room and sat me on the bed.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She whispered, rubbing her hand on my back.

Then I was sobbing again, gripping onto her tightly.

"I-I-I'm a-a-a-afraid o-of my ow-own parents and I'm so s-s-s-sick and tired of i-i-it." I sobbed into her shoulder. She held on tightly.

I pulled away sharply and thrust my not healing cut at her, and she gasped. "T-T-They've n-n-n-never a-a-accepted me for w-who I a-am, so they think they h-have to _fix_ me."

"Danny did they do this to you?" She asked me, anger plain in her features. I nodded. "B-b-because ever since my accident, I've been different." I told her. She stopped gently poking at my arm to look up into my eyes.

I took a deep breath, my face feeling hot and sticky from my tears. "That white haired ghost today? That was me." I whispered. Her hands were on my face.

"I understand that you probably don't understand what I am, but please _please_ don't think I'm a-"

My sentence was cut off by her lips on mine. I froze, my eyes wide with disbelief as she pulled away in fear. "I'm so sorry, but I just needed you to know-"

I gripped her face in mine and placed my lips back on hers forcefully, moving my hands into her hair as she kissed me back passionately. She snaked her arms behind my neck and pulled me closer to her, pressing my body against her own.

I pulled away reluctantly, breathing heavily. I've never had my breath taken away before…

"...I needed you to know that I don't care what you are. You're just Danny to me." She whispered, a blush on her face, but something else in her eyes.

I looked away with a small smile on my face. "What?" She asked, laughing slightly. "Nothing, it's embarrassing." I told her.

"...Was that your first kiss?" She asked, a wide smile on her face. My blush deepened. "No, Daniel James Fenton has had _so_ many ladies in the past." I deadpanned.

She burst into laughter, wrapping her arms around my neck. I immediately placed my hands at her waist, my skin tingling wherever hers met mine. "It wasn't bad….You must have practiced on something."

"If you count the wall, or a pillow, then sure." I rolled my eyes. She pressed her lips against mine again, leaving them there before taking them away again. "You can practice on me." She winked.

She didn't have to tell me twice.

…

A couple hours later, Sam and I were sat down at the Nasty Burger, waiting for Tucker to arrive. I was sitting down with a palm against my neck, glaring at her.

"Come on! It isn't that noticeable! If I do recall, you didn't have a problem with it when I was giving it to you." She smirked. I gave her a look. "I think you forget that I'm the biggest virgin that has ever walked the face of the earth. I forgot that it would leave a mark." I mumbled.

"I think _you_ forget that you are also a genius." She winked.

I pushed my glasses up my face with a sigh and looked to the door where Tucker was entering with a smile on his face. "Hello Danny boy."

"Hello Tucker. I'm a ghost."

Tucker paused as he was sitting down. He stared at me, mid squat as I sat awkwardly with my hand pressed against my neck.

"...Yes I assumed….after seeing the white haired ghost." He said, finally sitting down. "I like the 'if I think about it, I won't tell him' tactic."

"Sam came up with it." I shrugged, feeling it to be safe to remove my hand because Tucker was on the other side of me.

"It's a good one." He said, watching me carefully. "Why did you tell her first?" He asked. I sighed. I rolled up my sleeve of my jacket that Sam kept at her house, and showed him the still healing cut.

"I freaked out after school because my parents decided to….test my healing ratio." I said. He paled and looked at me. "I guess I just thought to go to Sam….I don't really remember what I was thinking." I told him.

He sighed. "...I don't want them to experiment on you anymore." Sam said for Tucker. "I know….but they aren't going to stop. They told me that they...uh….wouldn't give up." I mumbled, deciding to leave the Vivisection part out.

"...Do you want to stay tonight?" Tucker asked. I sighed. "I don't know if they'll let me." I whispered. Tucker shook his head. "Danny, you're not going home."

"I have to." I told him.

"Absolutely not." Sam hissed. I stopped talking look down at my hands, feeling them watch me. Tucker put his hand on my shoulder. "If they won't let you, sneak out." He said.

"Yeah, or tell them you're having a movie night at my house." Sam said. "Sleepover at Sam's!" Tucker shouted, making people look over towards us, but I didn't care. I laughed loudly, looking up to meet Sam's eye.

She smiled a comforting smile and I smiled back. I could make it if she was by my side.

…

Sam walked me home, Tucker saying that he would meet us at her house later. I held on to her hand after Tuck was gone. "Danny, I don't want you to be scared anymore…." She whispered. "Don't worry, I've had to deal with this for two years without you or Tuck." I told her.

She stopped in front of my house. "...Do they even feel bad?" She asked.

I paused. "I think so...I don't think they _want_ to do any of this to me...but they are scientists. Science is always their answer." I said, leaning against the stairs. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her eyes lifted to the window for a split second before going back to my face. "My mom watching us?" I asked.

She nodded, a smile on her face. "I'm sorry." She said, bringing me into an embrace. I sighed, squeezing her tighter.

"I wish that you could just come home with me." She mumbled. I couldn't help myself, so I snorted. She pulled back sharply. She laughed as she slapped me on the back of the head.  
"Okay, rule number one, you need to stop hanging out with Tucker. Daniel Fenton doesn't get to make sexual jokes." She said waving her finger in my face. I just smiled at her, grabbing her hand.

She smiled with a blush as I gently pressed my lips against hers and went to go into my house. "I'll see you later, Danny." She said.

"See you." I said, opening my front door. My parents were in the kitchen, talking quietly. I took a deep breath and walked in, closing the door quietly.

"Welcome home, Daniel." My mom called to me. My dad looked up and a sad look came across his features. I looked down at the still healing and slightly infected cut and sighed, walking into the kitchen.

"...I apologize for hurting you…" Mom told me. I looked up in surprise. "You understand why I did it, right?"

….Nevermind, she's just going to make another stupid excuse.

"...Yeah mom, I understand." I said, disappointment clear in my tone. My dad sighed. "Maddie, come on. We have to finish up those inventions for the Guys in White." He told her.

My mom huffed and got up, walking quickly to the stairs. "I don't want to hurt you anymore." My dad told me, patting my shoulder gently and disappearing into the bathroom.

I waited in confusion as he came back with our rubbing alcohol and gauze. "...Can I clean that? Any blood blossom residue can make it a more painful healing experience." My dad told me. I carefully gave him my arm, watching him cautiously.

He cleaned my cut, stopping whenever I hissed. His strokes were gentle, and his face calculating as he wrapped my arm. "So you have a girlfriend?" He asked me. My face burst into a blush.

"...Um, yeah, I think so." I stuttered. Dad laughed. "As long as she treats you right, it's fine with me. And I understand if you never bring her home to meet us." He said.

"I'll bring her home sometime, dad." I said, sadness in my tone. I always knew that my dad was more on my side, because I am his only son.

"...I'd like to meet her sometime." He said. I nodded. He tapped the gauze down and patted my arm. "If you want to get out of the house tonight after dinner, I give you full permission. Mostly because your mom wanted to continue testing." He shuddered.

"I'll make up some excuse." He finished, leaving me at the table. I watched him disappear down the stairs, immediately going upstairs to skype Tucker.

...

Around eight o'clock after dinner, I had packed a bag and was throwing it out of my bedroom window. Mom and dad were downstairs talking, and I could hear resentment in my moms tone. I slung a long leg out the window and took a deep breath, before jumping and dropping to the ground below. I grabbed the bag and took off running, not stopping until I had gotten far enough away from my house.

I sighed and looked back, feeling strangely guilty. Even after all these months of torture and slight parental abuse, I still had never snuck out before. Even if my dad was in on the sneaking out, it didn't make it less….wrong.

My mom still trusts me as a son.

I shook my head, eyes burning slightly. I wouldn't cry. I've already cried more than I should today. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Sam's door, putting on a fake smile just incase one of her parents opened the door.

Sure enough, Pamela opened the door a minute later. "Hello Daniel." She said kindly. "Hello Mrs. Manson, Sam wanted Tucker and I to come over for a movie night!" I told her. She nodded, pleased with my manners.

Pamela hates my parents, but loves my manners, so she puts up with me whenever I'm around. She moved and allowed me to come in. "Have you given college anymore thought?" She asked me. She knew of my intelligence, so she liked to bring it up in conversation.

"Yes, but I haven't decided where I want to go. Cost is a big factor nowadays."

"You could possibly get your full tuition paid. I also want to thank you for helping Samantha with her studies. Her math scores have never been better." Mrs. Manson said, clasping her hands in front of her.

" _Thank_ you mother." I heard Sam say, and I looked up to the top of the staircase. She was wearing a simple maroon hoodie with black spandex shorts, but I thought she looked beautiful. Her long locks were pulled up onto her head, and her face only had the slightest bits of mascara on.

"Hey Sam." I perked up, giving her a smile. "Get up here, nerd." She smiled.

Mrs. Manson gave us a sly smile and left the room as I walked up the stairs to Sam. "You look so pretty." I told her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She rolled her eyes, kissing my cheek. "Tuck's here, if you were planning on ravishing me or anything."

While a blush appeared on my cheeks, I scoffed. "I'm sure that was _your_ plan. How disappointed you must be." I winked.

She laughed as we walked to her bedroom, facing Tucker who was already setting up the surround sound.

"Hello friend." He said, giving me a peace sign and fiddling with a knob. I looked over to Sam as she shrugged.

Loud, horror film music began to filter through the speakers as Tucker gave us a creepy smile.

"Let's do this."

 _Ah, friend humor. I'm a piece of trash._


	8. Threats and Weaknesses

Sam and I sat down on the bed, backing up so our backs rested on her bed frame. Tucker pressed play on 'Cabin in the Woods' and sat down next to me, so I laced my fingers through Sams.

Her fingers squeezed mine, but she didn't glance my way. A blush stained her cheeks as the lights turned off with another click of Sam's remote in Tucker's hand. The movie was long, and not that scary compared to most things _I_ see everyday.

Many of the scary movies we watched weren't scary, now that I thought about it. Tucker was curled into my shoulder during 'The Gallows' which made me roll my eyes in amusement.

Sam's hand didn't leave mine, even though they had started to sweat a little bit. Tucker was yawning by the end of the movie, but clicked on another movie, this one being 'Valentine's Day.'

Sam and I looked at each other while Tucker turned on his side and drifted off into a slight nap. Sam rested her head on my shoulder quietly and sighed in content. She wrinkled her nose, her head shooting up off of my shoulder as Tucker got up and laid down on the floor.

"Night nerds." He told us, as his breathing turned into quiet snores. I turned towards Sam and brought her lips to mine, holding her tightly in my arms as she put her arms around my neck. I deepened the kiss, bringing her body closer to mine. I squeaked quietly in surprise as she gripped my hands and flipped us to where she was straddling my waist as she pinned my arms to the side of my head.

I snorted and leaned up to kiss her again, pouting as she pulled away, bringing one finger to her lips. She leant down to my ear. "Listen." She whispered making me shiver, but her voice was laced in amusement.

"Oh my god. Are they fucking? Should I leave? What do I do, I can't leave they'll notice." Tucker's voice was whispering harshly to himself. My lips formed an O and I blushed, getting ready to get up and apologize when Sam suddenly shoved me back down, before she bit her lip and whimpered.

I looked up at her in unamused before she pressed her lips to my neck, biting softly, because she knew I was sensitive there. I squeaked quietly before she quieted me. "Shh, wouldn't want to wake up Tucker would we?" She whispered loudly, and I heard Tucker freaking out in the background. I finally understood what she was doing as I smirked while I rolled my eyes.

"No." I said trying to make my voice sound hot and bothered, which wasn't that hard actually. Tucker snorted, and a clapping sound was heard as I assumed he covered his mouth. Sam continued kissing my lips like she hadn't heard.

Her hands trailed down my chest and unbuttoned my waistband. I blushed as she quickly unzipped the zipper as Tucker bolted up and turned on the light. "You, no. I refuse to listen to this sin!" He exclaimed dramatically. Sam and I burst out laughing as Tucker looked at us in confusion.

"I was expecting blushing and stuttering, why are you laughing. Fenton, button your jeans!" He exclaimed.

I buttoned my jeans as Sam explained. "I know when you are fake sleeping genius. I was playing a prank on you." She winked.

Tucker opened his mouth in shock. "SO you guys weren't about to literally do it with me in the room?"

"Tucker, it's a bit too soon to be thinking that right now, and even if we do 'do it', we are going to be alone." Sam rolled her eyes. Tucker snapped his eyes between me and Sam. "So there is a chance that you could?" He asked, excitement in his eyes.

"...Yes?" Sam and I asked at the same time. "I thought you picked up on the fact that we are a thing?" I asked him as Sam snorted.

Tucker jumped in the air, pointing at us. "No I thought you guys would never admit it!" He told us.

"Literally admitted it today." Sam winked. Tucker squealed and came onto the bed and hugged us, before brutally shoving me to the ground.

"Which means you can't share a bed!" Tucker laughed. Sam kicked his stomach, making him collapse onto the floor. "Shut it, Tuck. He can do whatever he wants." She told him.

"Including you." I added, dodging a pillow that came my way as Tucker burst into laughter. "I hate you both." She said, crossing her arms and pouting. I laughed. "Aw, come on. Don't pout." I told her.

"I'm not pouting you dick." She hissed. I put on my puppy dog face and sniffed. "I guess I should leave then." I told her, making Tucker snicker.

"No." She mumbled, reaching out toward me. I immediately turned invisible, making them gasp in surprise. I positioned myself upside down in front of her head as they stared at the last place I had been.

"Danny, this isn't funny." She crossed her arms, amusement plain on her features. I phased back into reality, making her gasp and glare. "I know it's not funny to you, but to me, this is hilarious and liberating." I told her.

I pecked her lips as Tucker squealed behind us.

I raised an eyebrow, accidentally not focussing on my flight as I flipped onto the bed. "Is it going to be like this anytime I show her affection?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Only when there is PDA." He winked. I rolled my eyes and sat up, giving him a final look before yawning. "I'm tired, so I'm sleeping." I told them, throwing a pillow at the lightswitch to turn it off and getting under her covers. I closed my eyes as Sam and Tucker got themselves ready for sleeping. I drifted off as Sam took me into her arms.

…

 _Sam's POV_

"Tuck? You awake?" I whispered. I heard him sit up and look at me. "Yeah...I can't stop thinking about his parents." He told me, getting up and coming over.

The boy in question was currently asleep, his bandaged arm outside of the blankets he had wrapped himself in, slung over my waist as his head rested on my shoulder. I sighed. "Me too." I told him, touching the bandage carefully.

"I just can't imagine sending him home every night, waiting to see if he comes back in the morning with some other injury, or maybe if he even comes back at all." I told him.

Tucker placed his hand on my shoulder. "We know now. If he doesn't come to school, then we know where to go to find him!" He told me. I nodded.

"I just care so much about him." I whispered, dragging my fingers through his hair. "It's funny, because I don't know if we are even official or not, but I really like him."

Tucker smiled. "He's lucky that he has a girl that would fight for him." I nodded. "You are damn right I would fight for this boy." I told him. Danny stirred in my arms, letting go of me and turning the other way. I smiled at him as my eyelids started to droop.

"I'm going to bed, Sam. Don't worry. He has us, he'll be fine." He told me. He laid down on his makeshift bed as I cuddled into Danny's back.

I really hope he is right.

…

I woke up warm and content, until I heard harsh whispering. I felt the sheets next to me. They were still warm, meaning he had been there until recently.

" _Mom_ , no." I heard him exclaim, and he sounded upset. I sat up quickly and looked around the room, noticing the door to the bathroom slightly ajar. I carefully left the bed, stepping over Tucker and quietly padding over and leaning against the door frame.

The loud squeaking was his mother's voice and I heard him gasp. "They are the best thing that's ever happened to me you can't just take them away."

I placed a hand over my mouth and opened the door a crack. He was crying, tears rolling down his cheeks as he bit his finger and pressed his phone against his ear.

I knew that he was talking about me and Tucker as soon as he collapsed on the floor, the phone flying out of his hand as he sobbed quietly. I opened the door and sat down next to him, picking up his phone and hanging up.

"Hey, calm down. Shhh." I said, taking him into my arms. He pushed me away gently and got up, throwing on his shirt and going outside of the room. I watched him go in confusion, getting up and silently following. He was almost out the door, keys in hand, when I called out to him.

"Hey? What's up?" I asked, sprinting down the stairs to his side. He sighed. " _She_ thinks you guys know about me. She thinks I told you, and she threatened to take me away from you guys if I don't come to her and-"

"And explain the situation? I'll come too." I told him. "I can 'meet' the parents." He looked at me, pondering. "She's a genius. She'll be able to tell."

I sighed. "Danny, I think you are misjudging my acting skills." I winked. He snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. His eyes were red and puffy, and his hair was all over the place. He looked, amazing. I smiled at him. "I can even lay on thick that I don't like ghosts." I told him.

He nodded, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer, hugging me tightly. "I guess we are just leaving Tucker here then?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'll tell him to meet us at Nasty Burger for lunch." I said, going up to my room to change. Danny went outside to warm up the car as I threw on a nice hoodie and jeans, throwing my feet into some converse before shaking Tucker awake. "I gotta help Danny with his parents. Meet us at Nasty Burger at noon." I told him. He nodded, and rolled over, falling back asleep. I left my room as I was gathering my hair into a ponytail.

Danny looked up at me with a smile as I got into the passenger side door. "Are you ready?" I asked. "No, but at least they can't do anything to me today." Danny shrugged. I sighed, looking out the window at the frost covered ground. November might be my favorite time of the year.

"What is your family doing for Thanksgiving?" I asked. Danny sighed. "We usually go up to Wisconsin to visit my uncle Vlad since he doesn't have any family." He told me. I nodded. "My family and my grandmother usually just stay here….but the dinner isn't what it should be." I said sadly.

Danny looked at me in sympathy as he pulled into his driveway. I immediately turned my attention to the window, where a redheaded teenager and his mother were waiting. I took a deep breath and got out of the car, smiling at Danny who offered his hand.

"Your mom looks surprised." I told him. He laughed. "I think she assumed she would never meet you, especially after this morning."

"Hey guys." Danny called out.

"Good morning, little brother." The redhead called out, giving me a perplexed look. His mother came into the room with a confused smile.

"Hello, Daniel. Hello Sam." She asked. Danny smiled warmly. "Who is this?" His sister asked.

"I'm Sam Manson, Danny's girlfriend." I told them, holding my hand out to her. She smiled brightly and shook my hand. Danny watched in hesitation before joining me in front of his mom.

"How long have you been dating?" His mom asked. "Not long, but I wanted to get your guy's approval." He told her.

His mom looked at him in shock. "Are you staying for breakfast?" She asked.

"If it's not too much trouble, I do have to warn you. I'm a vegetarian." I told her. She smiled. "I'm sure we have something here for you, if not, I can make you a fruit salad." She told me.

"Thank you Mrs. Fenton." I told her. She waved me off. "You can call me Maddie, if you want." She told me.

Danny looked at her in shock. "I'm Jazz, Danny's big sister." The redhead, Jazz, told me. "Nice to meet you."

"Where's dad?" Danny asked. Jazz rolled her eyes. "In the lab, cleaning." She said, and I could tell by her expression she was wanting Danny not to go down there. "Want to go say hi?" I asked, lacing my fingers through his and squeezing. "Sure." He told me. "Daniel, your dad has been wanting to see you for a little bit. Sam can stay here and visit with me and your sister while you help him out with some experiments." His mom said, and I could even hear the cold edge to her tone.

I went to protest, but Danny shook his head and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you in like five minutes. I won't be long." He told me, exiting down the stairs.

Mrs. Fenton watched me with amazement before composing myself, ushering me into the kitchen. "So how is that report coming along?" She asked. I nodded. "It's almost done. Mr. Lancer didn't expect us to have almost finished this soon." I told her.

She nodded. "Please excuse my rudeness at telling Daniel to help his father, but I wanted to learn more about you. How do you feel about my son?"

This was the questioning phase I had prepared myself for. I put on my best smile and shrugged. "I don't know….I really like him. He makes me feel special."

Her gaze was calculating at my words. "Have you noticed anything about him?"

A strange question, and even though I had been expecting it, I shot her a confused glance. "...No…? He seems normal…? Why is there something I should know?" I sent her a look.

She cleared her throat, shaking her head. "No. I was just wondering. He's seemed….different since he's had you, but no matter."

At that moment, Danny walked into the kitchen slowly, his skin pale and his eyes weak. "Hello Daniel. Everything alright?"

He narrowed his eyes, his careful smile forced. "Just fine." He said, though his eyes betrayed his words. His mother's lips pressed together and she got up and left the table to make breakfast. Danny took my hand and pulled me from the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.

His knees immediately buckled as he collapsed on the bed. "God I hate the things they do to me." He hissed, his eyes drooping. I sat next to him and sighed. "What?"

"They like to be up to date on my DNA and blood samples. They take new ones every week." He told me, his eyes slipping shut. "Hey, how much do they take? They've got to have a limit." I asked.

Danny shrugged. "Ever since I've started 'rebelling' against them, my mom has been taking more to make me weak enough not to leave the house."

My fists clenched in anger as he gently took my hand. "It's not so bad. I've been dealing with this for two years…..they won't kill me."

"They haven't killed you. There's a difference between haven't and won't." I reminded him. He shrugged carefully. "I hate feeling useless, but I at least need to take a nap. I can't be weak." He told me. I nodded, my eyes drifting around the room as he slept.

I walked around his room, looking at a bunch of childhood achievement awards for intelligence, when I noticed a light coming from in between some books. I moved the books aside and revealed a small camera. I gasped in surrpise, wondering how long ago they had put it there. Everything on the shelf was covered in a thin layer of dust except for the camera, so I assumed that it had been recent. I turned it off, hoping it was more of a livestream than recorded video files and sat down on the bed next to Danny.

His breathing was even and his heartbeat steady, though it jolted when I gently carrassed his face with my finger tips. I laid down next to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest before peacefully falling asleep next to him.

…

 _I've been grounded. Since december._

 _(i have two chapters done, not including this one. I'll post one tomorrow and then the next day. Luckily my mom can't ground me from my school computer xD)_

 _That's not an excuse, I've literally been grounded for two months xD In that time I did a play, it was called We Will Rock You and I was the lead, I got nominated for Homecoming Queen and won which was a surprise. Idk that's all with me lol see you next time._


	9. Is it Kidnapping if its Your Parents?

_Danny's POV_

I peeled my eyes open, feeling strange to have woken up in my room. My head was pounding as it usually does whenever I get my blood taken. The door was open, even though it had been closed whenever Sam and I had come up here.

Speaking of Sam…..she was pressed my side, her breathing light as she slept on my chest. I smiled and gently shook her awake using his shoulder. She groaned and opened her eyes, looking up to what had woken her.

I smiled. "Hi." I said, my voice still thick with sleep. She giggled and smiled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Our legs were tangled together, so she had to carefully retract her legs from mine before checking the time.

"Oh shit we are so late for lunch." Sam said, her voice slightly panicked. I stared at her and started laughing. She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Nothing, but you know exactly what Tucker is going to say right?" I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows. "No, I don't. And neither do you. What did I say?! No dirty jokes from Danny Fenton."

I continued to laugh as I got up, taking her into my arms and kissing her lips gently. "What would I do without you?" I asked her as I pulled away, keeping our faces close.

She sighed, a small smile on her face. "You'll never have to find out." She looked slightly to the left as realization clouded her eyes. She bit her lip and whispered into my ear. "I have to tell you something after we are out of this house." She said, and I nodded. We exited the house, not bothering to say goodbye to my parents and we ran to Nasty Burger. I don't know why we didn't just take my car, but Sam seemed excited to run.

Tucker was expecting us, arms crossed looking angry as we approached. "Sorry we were-"

"I don't want to know what you did. I don't need to be scarred for life, but I hope your sex life was worth me missing my twelve o'clock feeding."

I burst out laughing as Sam's face turned red. "I hate you both. Danny knew you were going to say that. God, I hate both of you." She said, crossing her arms. Tucker threw his arm around my shoulder as we both continued to laugh. Sam started giggling not long after.

"Come on, I'm starving. Sam and I never got breakfast." I told him, and the three of us walked through the door. Tucker and Sam went to go get the usual orders as I claimed our usual booth. The A-list was at their corner booth, laughing but Dash was watching me.

I swallowed silently, sitting down and leaning down so only the top of my head was in his line of vision.

I heard his giant footsteps before he appeared at the side of the table. "Follow me, Fenton." He said, and I looked up at him, confused. "Uh, what?"

He grabbed the back of my shirt, and even though I was taller than him, he pulled me outside the Nasty Burger. I chanced a look at Sam and Tucker, but they were too busy ordering to notice. I gulped and found my footing, pulling away from Dash as he shoved me behind the building.

"I've noticed something different about you Fenton." He said. I backed up until my back hit the wall. I was too weak to fight him, because my body was still producing the blood I had lost.

"N-n-n-nothings different." I told him, my stutter present. He rolled his eyes. "Where do you get off Fenton? Acting like you are this normal kid with anxiety issues, making Sam and Tucker fall for your tricks."

Now I was really confused. "What?" I asked, pushing him away from me slightly. "I know what your parents do. I've heard the screams walking past your house. They experiment on people." Dash told me, spitting in my face.

My face paled, and I struggled to get a response. "You are sick, Fenton. Helping your parents kidnap and murder people."

"No, that-that's n-not what's ha-ha-happening." I told him, but I was too terrified to move. "I'll tell people. I swear to god."

"Dash….they are e-e-experimenting on….uh….they aren't k-k-k-kidnapping people." I whispered as Dash took a step back, his brow furrowed. "Then what's going on?"

I remained silent, rubbing my bandaged arm. "Daniel Fenton."

I froze, my eyes whipping up to Dash's. My mother was beside us. "Is there a problem, Mr. Baxter?" She asked, her voice calm. Dash looked from me to my mother, while I shook my head, begging him not to say anything.

"Just a misunderstanding…" He told her. "No problem."

My mom nodded and then turned to me. "You need to return home….and expect to remain at home for a week. Your father and I are going to need some help in the lab." She told me.

Fear clawed at my heart. "O-o-okay mom." I told her, nodding. "I'll just go say goodbye to Sam and Tucker." I told her.

Her eyes turned to steel. "We need you at home immediately, there is no time."

Dash watched this conversation, his eyes confused and angry. "Okay." I relented, my head dropping. I cast my eyes up at Dash who remained silent.

"See you, Dash." I told him. And I followed my mother to the car.

"...A week?" I asked in a whisper. "We haven't been getting that far with results…..so you'll be in the lab the majority of the time. Wednesday you may have your friends over if you promise to behave….but you'll be unconcious a majority of the time." She told me.

"Is this about a cure, because-"

"No. This isn't about curing you anymore. We need to know more about ghosts, and what better way than to use the one under our roof." She said, her eyes cold and hard. "Because from this moment on…..you aren't my son."

…

 _Sam's POV_

Tucker and I sat down with the food, Danny nowhere to be found. I was starting to get worried.

"He probably went to the bathroom. I wouldn't be worried." Tucker told me. I shook my head. "It's different….." I sighed.

Dash came through the door looking pale and confused, looking around at the tables. When he spotted us, he came over quickly. "I took Fenton outside to ask him about his parents experimenting on people secretly in their lab. I thought he was luring you into their lab….but his mom showed up." He told me.

I froze, looking up at him in shock. "He's gone home….but…..the way she was acting was like she was picking up an ingredient. Like groceries. I know geniuses have problems with emotions and stuff, but that was like she wasn't looking at her son. She didn't question me at all, more told Danny what he was going to do. It was weird."

"Dash, did she say where she was going? Besides home."

"To the lab. Fenton has to help them in the lab. He won't be at school for a week because of it." Dash explained. "I don't know whats going on…..but if you do…..Fenton looked scared."

Dash nodded at us and walked away. Tucker and I abandoned our meal, heading outside. "...She won't let us see him. They'll already be preparing him." Tucker said, grabbing my arm. 

"We need to get him out of there."

"We need a plan first." Tucker interjected. I sighed, knowing he was right. "He can handle this, they won't do anything different. Danny told us that they hold back because they love him. They feel bad. We'll get him out, but we need to wait."

"...I know….but what if it's different this time?" I asked. He sighed. "It won't be. They wouldn't change it up."

"They are scientists." I spat. "They have to have a constant. Right now, their constant is manageable. We will get him out, but we need to wait. We can't get him out tonight. They will know, because Maddie saw Dash. She would expect us. She would expect us to go in guns blazing." Tucker explained.

"You've been hanging out with Danny too much." I sighed, with a small smile.

"He's my best friend." Tucker told me. "I love you to death, but he's my best friend. We are a trio. No trio member left behind." Tucker concluded.

Tucker and I walked down the street, planning as we went. I hesitated by FentonWorks, wanting to go over there and scream at his parents, but Tucker dragged me along.

We would wait until Thursday...giving them four days. Monday we would gather what we could. Tuesday we would stake out the lab, looking to see if things had changed….that would decide if we rescued him early. Tucker stopped on my steps. "...Don't worry. You guys just got together. I won't let them tear you apart."

"...You're right."

"We have to act like we don't know where he is tomorrow at school." Tucker added. I sighed. I had a headache. But this is what we had to do.

"Danny will survive." I whispered. "He has to."

...

 _Danny's POV_

Mother pulled into the driveway and roughly pulled me through the house and into the lab, not wasting anytime. "Should I tell Sam and Tucker that I won't be at school?" I asked in a small voice.

Mother shook her head, her lips pressed together. "They'll assume by your absence that you didn't want to attend. Also, your father has taken the opportunity to program messages to be sent each day. Excuses if you will, including hanging out on Wednesday. That will send tomorrow. We will monitor the responses." She told me.

My heart skipped a beat, something she noticed while hooking me up to a heart monitor. She looked at me. "What?" She snapped.

"...Nothing." I mumbled, wincing as she roughly shoved a needle into my wrist, hooking me up to an IV.

"What are you doing?" I asked, not liking the silence of the lab. "Making sure that you won't flatline during our procedure. Blood isn't working anymore. We need organ samples."

"I thought that you didn't care about curing me anymore?" I asked. She sighed. "Daniel, while you are like this you are not my son. I see that now, especially with the way you have been acting. However. I've loved you for fourteen years."

"Minus the last two, almost three." I interjected. She glared. "Quite. Anyways, I want my baby boy back. While learning about ghost DNA, I will find something." She said. "I have to."

"Or what?" I dared to ask. "You won't live to _see_ your seventeenth birthday. I'll make sure of that." She said, a hateful glint in her eye. I gulped, nervousness rising in my throat. "Since I am not a monster, I will put you to sleep for the procedure. You will be on a constant blood blossom drip so that you can't escape using your powers." She told me.

She placed the IV bag filled with liquified blood blossoms on the hood and the red liquid started to drip into my tube, to be placed in my veins. I grit my teeth when the pain started.

She walked me over to a cot and laid me down. "I'll be doing preoperative observations, and taking more of your blood. The blood blossom concentration usually is burned off by the ectoplasm in your blood, so should you need a transfusion, you won't feel pain." She told me. She cursed to herself, holding out clothes. "Change into these, and be careful with the tubing. I couldn't have you change before you were weakened." She said and she swiftly left the room. I looked up to the lab window that was opposite the bed. I prayed my friends would come for me and soon.

I carefully changed out of my clothes, threading the bag through my shirt and into the new plain cotton t-shirt so the IV wouldn't have to taken out. I put on the pale blue cotton sweatpants and sat down in the bed, pulling the blankets over my legs.

Mother came back down, father right behind her. He didn't glance in my direction, a stern look upon his face. "Will I be given school work to work on while I have free time." Mother paused and nodded. "If you need reading materials you may have them."

"I've been planning on learning a new language. I'll need my laptop. I will not try to contact either of my friends, nor answer any emails." I told them.

They nodded, happy with this response as my father went to gather my things. "Thank you for being so willing. It makes it easier to be around you." She told me, placing a chair next to me and sitting down, disinfecting a vein for my transfusion. "I'm taking enough to make you pass out, so you won't be able to work on anything tonight." She told me, sighing.

The blood flowed into the bag and by the time she was done, I was a loopy mess. I started crying as I got weaker, my mother watching me closely. "I'm going to die down here." I sobbed. "I'm supposed to be an astronaut or an astronomer. I'm supposed to live in space. I'm supposed to grow old and die. I'm supposed to tell Sam I love her." I said my voice getting weaker. "I don't love her yet, but I can feel it. I can feel myself starting to love her." My mom got up sharply and exited the lab.

As I passed out, I don't remember what I said, but I know it startled my dad enough to ruffle my hair.

…

I woke up the next day, with a terrible headache, feeling nauseous. I sat up carefully, looking at my hands. My skin was sickly pale and my veins could be seen from my arms from the irritation of the blood blossoms.

I found it hard to breath as I took a deep breath, looking around. My parents were in the lab, writing things done. My dad looked angry and my mom had no expression. My dad stomped out of the lab as I cleared my throat. "Oh!" I startled my mom, making her drop the clean beaker she was holding. It shattered on the floor.

"Sorry." I mumbled, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth from how thirsty I was. "Good Morning, Daniel. I'll be right down with breakfast. Your….operation is postponed until further notice. We will continue monitoring your reactions to different supplements." She told me, not looking me in the eye.

I looked up at the window, the clear blue sky greeting my irises. I would give anything to go for a flight.

My dad came down moments later, holding my laptop and backpack. "Here, some things to do." He told me, guilt clouding his eyes.

"Thank you." I told him. "Could I have some water?" I asked. He nodded. "Anything you want."

He ascended the stairs and I quickly opened my laptop, my email already up. My messenger pinged with notifications from Sam and Tucker trying to reach me.

 _TFoley: Whenever you get on next, message me._

 _SammmMansonnn: hey, message me when you get the chance._

I sighed, signing off of my messenger. They would come find me, and I don't want them seeing me like this.

Dad came down with my water, and I grabbed it with shaky hands. My mom came down moments later with jam and toast. I wasn't feeling hungry so I sipped my water as she set down her tray.

"...Can you eat something?" She mumbled.

"Look at him, Mads. Does it look like he can eat anything? He can barely sit up, and probably wouldn't be able to stand, let alone walk. I don't like seeing him like this." My dad snapped, and my hands jerked in surprise, splashing water on my body.

"Jack, there's nothing else we can do. He's dead either way. We don't know how long his body can support this ectoplasm. We know that. We knew that when we started the experiments." She explained, her voice hysteric.

"The plan was to find a cure, not make our son want to die." He hissed. My mom froze. "Last night, when he was delirious, he said for us to just go ahead and kill him."

I froze, the cup halfway to my mouth. "Jack I want my son back." My mom cried.

I spoke up. "He never left. I'm sitting here, right now. I may have 'died' in a way in that accident, but I never stopped being your son. I don't show violent tendencies toward you, or Sam and Tucker. I don't show any signs of being a malicious killer. I'm different. I'm only different. I'm as different as I was when I was put into the Gifted Program in elementary school, but didn't want to skip any grades. I am as different as the time when I learned conversational french and wouldn't stop speaking it in sixth grade. I'm just a little more different than I was two years ago." I told her, my voice shaky and uneven.

"I'm not going to stop you from experimenting on me, but please. Treat me like I'm your son instead of some lab rat."

My mom was shaking by the end of my speech, her eyes coated with a thin film of tears. My dad watched her reaction. "Of course you are my son. Of course you are different." She said. "Daniel, I'm a scientist, this is me out of my element." She told me. She came next to me, and unhooked the IV.

"I don't hate you….I shouldn't have said what I said in the car. I want you to know that I love you. But _I_ can't be the one to experiement with you anymore."

….She put too much emphasis on the I. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…..if I can't find something soon….Your father and I agreed to give you to the Guys in White. Our bosses."

My heart froze over. "No. You can't."

"Danny, you don't respond well to us, anymore." My dad said, his eyes sad. "We don't want to hurt you anymore."

I couldn't help it. I got mad.

I could feel the strength returning to my ghost half, my eyes lighting up in a brilliant neon green. My parents took a step back. "You aren't going to take me there. I'll die." I hissed, placing my feet on the ground.

The area around my toes turned to frost, travelling quickly across the metal floor. My parents looked at me in surprise, and then in fear as I sent ice travelling towards them.

"I won't let you kill me like that." My voice echoed in an otherworldly way, making my parents shiver in surprise.

"I told you not to tell him, Mads." My dad whispered to her. "That it would anger the ghost."

I took a shaky step towards them, my energy breaking various glass beakers next to me. "I dare you to come after me." I hissed, as I hit the portal button and the Ghost Zone was revealed. "I dare anyone to look for me. Because Daniel Fenton and his ghost are the same being. And they both should've died in that accident. Would've saved you the trouble." I spat, running towards the portal and flinging myself inside, the doors closing quickly after me.

…

 _I may have gotten carried away. But oh well._

 _told ya you'd have an update today, but with my weird schedule i didn't believe it either xD_


	10. Training by Ice Yetis

_Danny's POV_

' _I fucked up. I fucked up bad._ ' I thought to myself, blearily flying throughout the Ghost Zone. I had never been here before, so I had no clue where I was going….or how to get back into the Human Realm without my parents portal. I wasn't in Ghost form, making the few ghosts I passed look at me in confusion.

I shivered, the thin t-shirt and pants I was wearing not helping the chilly climate of the 'Zone. I was shaking from lack of blood in my veins, and I was shivering from the cold….I wasn't in good shape.

I had gotten too mad. I could've fixed things with my parents, let them experiment...do operations. But no, I proved to them that I wasn't stable enough. That I would hurt someone someday.

I sighed, knowing that it was true. I didn't deserve to go back.

Thoughts of Sam intruded themselves over my self loathing making me smile. I transformed into my ghost form, the cold immediately turning into a more comfortable temperature. I sighed in relief, looking around. I placed my feet on a floating….boulder….thing….rock? It was green, I can give you that. I looked around, wondering where I could go. I sat down and placed my head on my knees, placing my arms around my shins.

"...Ghost child." A familiar, robotic voice said in front of me. I looked up, my eyes meeting the hunters.

"...I do not mean to pry….but I was wondering what you are doing in the Ghost Zone." Skulker said.

"...I didn't have anywhere else to go, I guess." I shrugged. "Don't you want a rematch or something?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

The hunter sighed, looking around. "Maybe sometime….with the right audience. No one else knows about you yet, so I'd like to be the one to skin your hide off of your bones." He said, his smile sadistic.

"Get in line bud. My parents plan on selling me to the Guys in White." I said sadly, his movements freezing. "Are you even sure that you are their son?" He asked.

"Pretty sure. My birth certificate is in….my file. My old file." I told him, remembering that I had never retrieved it from Sam's.

"They are not your parents if they experiment on you. I had children...I believe. I don't remember much from my life, only that I died at thirty, and that I died in a hunting accident trying to prove myself." Skulker told me, floating far enough away to be comforting, but safe.

"Oh...I'm sorry." I told him. "I fell into the portal and turned it on from the inside. I still have electrical burns on my skin in human form."

Skulker winced. "Remind me to never use electrocution to capture you. It's considered rude to use a ghosts death to harm them." He told me.

"Good to know….is there anywhere that I can go that you know of?"

"Depends on what core type you are. Fire, ice, or neutral? Neutral I can direct you to Doras kingdom. Fire I can direct you to Pandora's lair…..Ice, you may go to Frostbite in the Far Frozen."

My brain was startled by these new names and new information. "I can create frost when I'm upset." I told him, my voice quiet.

"Ice core. I can take you to the entrance of the Far Frozen...but my fire core won't stand the cold for long." He told me, flying off in a direction. I sighed, and flew after him, feeling woozy and dehydrated. The flight was long, about thirty minutes, long enough that I was feeling the fact that I didn't have a lot of my blood.

Skulker noticed but didn't say anything, his eyes glued to the vast greenness around us.

Skulker stopped in front of a cave, ice coating the sides. "This is as far as I can go. Frostbite should be able to help you. If not…..I don't know. Just know, whelp, this is the only time that I will pity you, and the only time I will ever help you." He said, his demeanour changing into something animalistic, before he fired his jets and flew off.

I sighed and flew into the cave entrance, the sudden chill making me feel at home. I took a deep breath, going throughout the cave system, where it leveled out into icy terrain.

I looked around, seeing no signs of life. I decided to try my luck. "Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing. The wind picked up around me, coldness that would've made me shiver if I had been normal. I dropped my shoulders, sadness overcoming me. A shadow suddenly loomed overhead, and I looked up, right into the eyes of a yeti.

"...Hello?" I asked, fear taking over my senses. Every muscle in my body was telling me to run away from it, fight or flight kicking in to my taut muscles.

"...Hello. I am Frostbite, leader of the Far Frozen. Who might you be, young one?" He asked me, his face guarded.

I sighed. "Daniel Fenton...I'm….er….I have no other place to go." I sighed. "Have you recently died, spirit?" Frostbite asked, concern breaking through his wall.

"...No...two years ago...uh, I'm half-human. My parents are...scientists. Paranormal scientists." I told him, my throat thick with sadness. Frostbite looked shocked with this information.

"Skulker, a ghost I've fought before, told me that I could come here for help….that you might be able to help me. That t-t-t-this would be the best place for me, since I have an ice c-c-core." I explained. Frostbite's eyes dripped in sympathy, nodding his head at my shaking form.

"...Have your parents done anything to you?" Frostbite asked. I nodded. "...They perform experiments themselves, but I left because they threatened to sell me to the Guys in White." I said, my voice cracking at the end. I burst into tears, my fear and sadness finally overwhelming me. Frostbite caught me before I landed in the snow, his face sad.

"Come, young one. We can help you here." He told me, and I nodded, my exhaustion overcoming my sadness and allowing me to drift to sleep.

…

 _Sam's POV_

Danny didn't show up to school, yesterday or today. I knew that he wouldn't….but something inside me wanted to believe his parents would allow him to come to school.

Tucker and I sat by ourselves at lunch, making people notice his absence, including Dash. Dash looked sick to his stomach when he noticed Danny's absence, but stayed where he was.

Tucker looked more and more worried as the week progressed. We hadn't seen anything in the lab. Danny hadn't been in there, thank god. His parents had, cleaning up broken glass. Something had happened.

"Danny isn't in the lab, and he's not answering our calls, and his texts are obviously his parents." I deducted. "We need to get in the house. Tonight. We need to find him." Tucker finally said, after a momentary lapse in silence.

The teachers, I saw, were also worried about this absence, because Danny _always_ made sure to show up for initial attendance. Mr. Lancer hadn't pulled us out of class yet to talk about it, but I know that he was worried for him.

After school, Tucker and I went immediately to Danny's house, dumping our stuff off on Tucker's doorstep when we passed it. "I'll text my mom that it was important why we left, she'll bring it in." Tucker told me as we broke into a jog. I nodded, nerves climbing up to my throat.

Tucker and I knocked harshly on the door, Danny's mom opening it hesitantly, her eyes filled with what looked like dread and hope. The hope died when she saw it was us. "Daniel isn't home." She said simply, her skin pale and eyes red.

"...Then where is he?" I snapped. I hadn't seen him in three days...I needed to see him now. I needed to see that he was ok.

"I don't know. I thought by now he would've contacted you." She said quietly, opening the door even more. "...Daniel has been different since freshman year, I'm sure you know that." She told us. "I believe his father and I….well, we've been handling things….how we would normally. Science first. Daniel, I thought, would understand that. But he didn't...so now he's gone." Maddie said, her voice sad.

Tucker and I gaped at her. "He ran away?" I asked. "Into the Ghost Zone, yes." She mumbled. Danny's dad appeared from the top of the stairs, gaze hesitating on mine and Tucker's forms. "Hello you two." He said, his voice cold and sad. He looked worse than Maddie did, and that made my fists clench.

"So, are you going to try to get him back? He's probably nervous or scared, or who knows what. Who knows what the creatures in there will do to him, a _human_ in the Ghost Zone." I snapped. I didn't give away that I knew his secret, but I made sure to enunciate the word 'human'.

Maddie looked up to us. "...He'll come back when he's ready."

"Not if he's dead, or lost and doesn't know how to come back."

"I'm sorry, children, I wish there was more we could do." Jack said. I growled under my breath. "Well...if you aren't going to do anything, I am."

Tucker nodded next to me, our footsteps leading us to the lab door. "You don't know the first thing about Ghosts, and why do you care so much?" Maddie asked, her voice cold.

"Because my boyfriend is missing." I said, whipping my head back to face her eyes. Jack and herself had not moved an inch, not stopping us, but not too keen on wanting us down in the lab.

"He won't be your boyfriend for long. He'll start to trust you and tell you. You won't want anything to do with him." Maddie laughed, her voice crazed and harsh. Tucker and I glared at her.

"You don't know the first thing about me, Mrs. Fenton. I am loyal. I don't judge. I never give up anyone without a fight. If I have to fight to keep Danny away from _you_ and whatever you do to him….I will." I hissed, opening the door to the lab and descending the stairs, Tucker close behind.

"We don't know where to start looking." Tucker said sadly. I sighed. "That's not stopping me." I said, my face determined.

After all.

Someday I'm going to love that boy. I need him to be here to tell him that I did.

…

 _Danny's POV_

I woke up, who knows how much later in the day. I was in a icy room, that was strangely warm. I was under some fur pelts that were acting as blankets, and I was in human form.

I got up, my bed clothes my parents had provided stained with blood and caked with dirt. I got up, my human form not as used to the chill that was coming through the open doorway.

"Ah, young one. You are awake." Frostbites voice came in through the door, and suddenly the large yeti was walking through the doorway, holding clothes and a tray of various food. I went to decline, but he gave me a pointed look. I sighed, taking the clothes and tray, setting both beside me.

"...I have to go home, don't I?" I asked. Frostbites eyes showed sympathy once more. "Eventually, yes. However, you are welcome to stay as long as you like."

I shivered again, this time from the internal cold building in my core. I could tell that the temperature was steadily declining, Frostbite noticing as well. "Do you know why I make everything cold whenever I use my powers at all?" I asked.

Frostbite nodded. "You are gifted with an Ice core, but you have not used it, or been trained in its use."

I sighed, nodding. "I'm not allowed to use my powers at home. I've only used them once or twice since I've had them."

Frostbite looked concerned. "That could be fatal if you continue down that path." He told me.

I sighed again. "Can you train me at least? I don't use them because when I do, they go insane." I asked.

He nodded. "Eat first. You have been unconscious for three days." He told me, making me look up in surprise. He shrugged. "Your blood levels were low, you had to stay asleep until they could rise." He told me, his eyes showing concern.

I nodded, looking to the clothes on my side. "Thank you, Frostbite. It's very nice to meet you." I told him. He nodded with a smile. "Likewise, young one."

…

I finished my meal, which I was surprised to actually feel hunger for, and put on the warm clothes, stepping out into what looked to be town of Yeti. Some looked to me, composure mistrusting and guarded. I didn't let that stop me from finding Frostbite. I went to the arena, where he said he would be after he left.

He stood in the middle of a large arena, yeti filling the stands. "Young one, I hope you are energized for our first lesson." He said, laughing. I nodded, a dark blush on my cheeks.

"I don't understand why you are training a human, Chief Frostbite." A yeti called out. "Hush, Blizzard. You do not yet know of the power he wields." He motioned towards me, and I immediately transformed, the warm clothes being replaced by my jumpsuit.

The yeti around us gasped, the arena going quiet. "This hybrid has an ice core like us. While I do not trust what I have not encountered in the past, I make an exception with this boy. Like many ghosts, he has to deal with the paranormal scientists that hunt us. But he is not able to escape them. The ones that experiment on him are his biological parents."

The crowd gasped. "So I have offered him my expertise, so he is able to escape from them. To learn to harness his body's natural abilities as a ghost. To embrace his cold side." Frostbite finished.

"Our first lesson is expelling the energy, you feel it build. You are able to feel it drop the temperature around you. Let it all out." Frostbite told me, forming an ice wall to protect himself. I nodded, closing my eyes and focusing on the cold energy that was still building inside.

I grasped it, and expelled it from my body, snow and ice mixing with the arena floor. I instantly felt the temperature return to normal, my body no longer becoming a natural air conditioner.

Frostbite let the wall fall, a smile on his face. "Excellent. Many are not able to do that so quickly. You are a powerful ghost indeed." I blushed, cheeks stained with bright green instead of red.

"What's next?" I asked, a smile beginning to form on my features. I was finally starting to have some fun.

…

 _Sam's POV_

Danny's parents had come down to the lab, just to give us equipment. "I don't agree with allowing you into that world, but I can't stop you." Jack told us, throwing Tucker a key. "I'll allow you to use the Specter Speeder, a vehicle designed for the Ghost Zones terrain, however. You must promise to bring my son back, whatever the cost."

I scowled, going to protest. "I love my son, Ms. Manson. I love him more than life itself, but I can't control Maddie or her beliefs. I just want him home safe, where I know that I can protect him."

I sighed. "You are doing a crappy job of protecting him, Mr. Fenton." I told him. "But I'll try my best."

"You know about him don't you."

His voice sounded resolute, and I froze as I went to turn around. "...I do." I told him, my voice quiet. "She threatened to take us away from him if we knew, so I haven't been shouting it to the world."

Jack nodded. "I'm glad he told you. He's a kind boy, always been soft hearted. I thought he had died in that accident, and I hadn't known what to do about it. Maddie was crying on the floor, and he wouldn't wake up. He was so cold. But then he opened his eyes, and Maddie was immediately….I don't want to use the word disgusted, but that's what she was. His eyes….were green. Glowing green. Until he blinked, then they were blue. He passed out again after that. We rushed him to the hospital."

"They found abnormalities." Tucker supplied..

"Yes. In his blood. We identified it as ectoplasm….Maddie continued to blame herself. She never should've let him help with the portal, she used to say. She decided to take her energy and put it towards the cure."

"...You can't change a genetic mutation Mr. Fenton." Tucker told him. I remained silent, taking in the story Jack was telling us.

"...I know. We are a family or science, however. Maddie didn't want to believe that it was impossible to fix her baby. She is unsure whether or not it is her son anymore."

"But you are?" I finally asked. He nodded. "I know it's him. Overshadowing is different, so is using the host as a body. Danny wouldn't even be slightly himself. Maddie can't see that. I love her. I love my son. I love my daughter. The only way she won't send him away is to play along with what she has planned." Jack finished.

I sighed, crossing my arms around my midsection. I looked up to him, his eyes sad. "If you do nothing, you completely agree with everything she does." I told him. "I have no sympathy for you. I'm getting Danny out of this house, by force or with your help." I told him, dragging Tucker into the Speeder.

"That was kind of harsh, Sam." Tucker told me quietly. I shrugged. "He doesn't stop her. He watches as Danny is in pain, however he doesn't do anything to stop it. He's just as much a monster as she is." I told him.

Tucker sighed. "When did this rescue mission turn into a guilt trip?" Tucker laughed at the slight pun, making me punch him in exasperation, but I was happy that he was with me.

I wouldn't be able to do this alone.

Tucker floored the pedal on the Speeder and we flew into the Ghost Zone. I was mesmerized by the sights I saw. The 'atmosphere' was a deep green, with neon thrown in. Deep purple doors floated everywhere, and boulders and rocks signaled roads and paths.

"Cool." Tucker said, his voice sounded as if he were in aw. We flew for a long time, long enough to run into the metal ghost that had first fought Danny.

"More humans in this blasted Ghost Zone. This place is for the dead, and you are disturbing the peace." He told us with a sneer.

"We are looking for our friend." Tucker stated. I stayed quiet.

"...Ghost hunters son? I dropped him off with Frostbite. He needed some medical attention, and he was emotionally distressed. Don't worry, I didn't fight him. When you come across an ice cave, that's where he is, just keep in mind. The Far Frozen is an unforgiving wasteland. If you freeze there, you won't return." he told us, and with that he flew off.

Danny would be okay. He could make ice. But Tucker and I wouldn't be able to leave the Specter Speeder, making the journey harder on both of us.

"Let's hope Danny-boy is alright, or I'm going to kill him." Tucker mumbled, hitting the accelerator.

My laugh was heard throughout the Ghost Zone.

…

 _Danny finally gets trained, Frostbite doesn't call him Great One (yet ;) ). Sam and Tucker to the rescue. A little lore thrown in. Sam and Tucker with Skulker yay._

 _I'm really proud of this chapter. Idk why, I just feel like I finally know where I want to go with this whole story._


	11. Found and Cuddles

_Danny's POV_

I collapsed in a heap on the bed that Frostbite let me use, exhausted and tired. Frostbite laughed from the doorway, causing me to look up. "What?" I asked.

"...I've never met someone who is able to hold as much power as us, the Yeti of the Far Frozen." He laughed. "You are powerful, young one."

I sighed, looked up at him. "You've mastered basic abilities, including your ice powers. You are more than capable of defending yourself now." Frostbite smiled at me. I sighed. Being able to defend myself against ghosts was fine, but the real enemy was my parents.

I stayed in ghost form, fearing that I would get frostbite (hahaha puns) if I reverted back. Frostbite went to continue his thought, when Blizzard, his second in command, burst through the entryway.

"An unidentified vehicle is travelling throughout the ice fields. We would like permission to blow it out of the sky." He said. Frostbite sighed. "When we have visitors, it's best to ask questions first, young Blizzard." Frostbite scolded.

"Daniel, you may stay here and rest. We will deal with the object." Frostbite told me and they both exited the door. I froze in my place, using my supernatural hearing to listen to the commotion.

"Please we are just trying to find our friend." I heard Sam's voice and gasped, flying out of the building at maximum speed.

I looked at the Specter Speeder, inside was Tucker and Sam, defending their trespassing. Frostbite was calm and collected, which the rest of the tribe watched in anger and suspicion.

"None of our kind know of you, humans." Blizzard spat out, his hand tightening around the spear.

"She may be referring to our guest." Frostbite told Blizzard. Blizzard huffed. "Are you referring to Young One?"

"Who the hell is Young One?" Tucker finally asked. Sam sighed, looked at the tribe finally spotting me. She gasped and disappeared inside the speeder. When the door opened, she was racing towards me, a large smile on her face.

I scooped her up no problem, spinning her around as she hugged me. "It's freezing, you are freezing, but that's fine." She whispered in my ear. I placed us back on the ground. She grabbed my face and kissed me roughly, to the surprise of many of the Yeti.

Tucker wasn't far behind, forcibly splitting us apart and hugging me too. "We were so worried. We went to your parents house, and they told us you were gone into the 'zone." Tucker explained. Sam didn't let go, firmly wrapping her arms around my waist. Tucker started shivering and my eyes widened.

"Frostbite? Do you have jackets or something for them?" I asked. Frostbite smiled at me, sending one of the Yeti to a storage house. "Your friends are welcome to stay for the feast tonight. We have a heated living area if they plan to stay for the night, which would be preferable as many ghosts come out at this hour." As he explained, a yeti named Snow came back with their jackets. Sam and Tucker pulled them on.

I nodded. "We can go home tomorrow." I told them. Sam and Tucker looked at me in worry before nodding. "I have to go back sometime." I told them, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. Sam and Tucker wouldn't stop staring at me, making me wonder why.

"We've never seen you in ghost form this long. You look comfortable." Tucker supplied. Sam nodded. "Do you not need glasses in your ghost form?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I have perfect vision in this form." I told them, biting my lip. "...Do you have a name for this persona?" Tucker asked. Sam and I looked at him as we were led away towards the heated quarters.

"Uh, no." I said. "Well, if you are going to be in it more, then I suggest you come up with a name so your parents don't get suspicious." Tucker continued, looking at me with a gleam in his eye.

"...Do you have a suggestion? Because I kinda like being called Danny." I told them. "Could be simple then. Specter Danny? Invisible Danny?"

"Danny Phantom." Sam supplied as Blizzard opened the door and shoved us inside, his disdain for Sam and Tucker not lost to me.

"...I kinda like it. It's kinda on the nose, but I like it." Tucker told us, kicking off his boots to not track snow in the warm room. I started to feel uncomfortable in my ghost skin, so I transformed back into Fenton.

"Danny Phantom it is, then." I said to Sam, kissing her forehead. I squinted at her, her form becoming blurry when I realized that I had left my glasses at home. "I'm going to go give you guys sometime to talk about it as a couple, cause I need to use the bathroom anyways…." Tucker said awkwardly, leaving the room.

Sam put her hands on my chest, looking up into my eyes. "You were gone." She whispered.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "Nearly missed the week anniversary." I winked. She scoffed, dragging her hands up to my shoulders, making me shiver.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" She asked me, her voice faint. I shook my head. "No, it hasn't."

Sam sighed. "I don't know why I keep thinking we've been together so much longer…." She said, burying her face in my shoulder. I hugged her tightly. "Maybe its because you've liked me for so long." I said. I knew she could hear the smugness in my tone, but she ignored it with a glare.

She stared into my eyes before capturing my lips with hers, her fingers trailing up to grip my hair. My hands tightened around her waist as she deepened the kiss. I could feel the desperation rolling off of her in waves, but I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer than she had been before.

She pulled away slightly, gasping for air as she looked at me. She looked away at the bathroom door, and I started blushing realizing that Tucker could've walked in at any time. She rolled her eyes, shoving me against the wall and pinning me to it, once again connecting our lips together.

My body slamming against the wall apparently got Tucker's attention, because he opened the door quickly. I was a bit preoccupied with Sam's lips on mine to care, to be honest.

He cleared his throat, making Sam separate from me with a growl. Tucker raised his hands in defense. "Look, don't get mad at me because I'm usually here whenever you try and get in young Daniel's pants." Tucker smirked.

I scoffed. Sam glared at him more, before angrily stomping to the bathroom and slamming the door. I blinked at her direction, sighing before rubbing my face. "She was really worried, wasn't she?" I asked.

"You didn't contact us dude. We thought you might have died." He told me.

"They were planning on operating to get organ samples." I said quietly. "Don't tell her." I whispered.

Tucker's face was paler than usual once I told him that. His eyes narrowed in fury. "Your parents were going to operate on you?" He hissed, quiet enough not to alert Sam. I nodded, shrugging.

"Yeah, I was going to let them too…." I told him, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. Tucker was closer when I looked up. "Why?" He asked.

"...Because….I don't know….If I died then, everything would be okay with them again. They wouldn't have to worry about me being weird, and you guys wouldn't be worried about me all the time. Sam could get a normal boyfriend who could give her more than I can, and you could have a bestfriend that isn't a freak." I spat out, my eyes burning the tears.

Tucker's mouth was agape, his eyes sad. He quickly took me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and sobbed into his shoulder, feeling like a baby but not necessarily caring at the moment. "Danny, how long have you felt like this?" He asked, rubbing my back. I pulled away as my legs gave out from under me, the tears continuing to flow as I wrapped my arms around my legs and pulled them close to my chest.

"Danny, calm down." Tucker whispered, his voice close to me. The door opened and Sam came out, looking completely and utterly confused. "What the hell did you do to him?" Sam asked, coming onto my otherside.

"Sorry bud." He said to me before his attention was on Sam. "His parents were going to experiment on him, and he was going to let them because he, for some reason, thinks everything would be easier if he was dead." Tucker said.

Sam gasped, and wrapped her arms around me. "Never think like that again." She said into my ear.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry." I stuttered, no longer sobbing, but tears still running messily down my cheeks. Sam's eyes softened. "Hey, no stuttering." She said, her thumb brushing away the tears still following. I sniffed and laughed, bringing the heels of my hands to rub at my eyes.

"I'm such a baby, god." I laughed, slightly not joking. Sam punched my shoulder lightly. "You are a victim of emotional and physical abuse from your parents. You are not a baby." She reassured, her head resting on my shoulder.

I finally pulled myself together, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around Tucker's shoulder. "Thanks for being my friend." I told them.

Tucker and Sam smiled at me. "Don't know what we could've done without you." Tucker told me, hugging me tighter as Sam snuggled closer into my side.

…

Frostbite bid us farewell, the three of us deciding we would rather have comfort food at the Nasty Burger while we still could. It was about five o'clock human time, which was risky to be driving throughout the Ghost Zone at this hour, but we made our way back to the portal as quickly as we could.

When we entered, the lab was deserted. My bed was shoved in the corner, with my old clothes thrown haphazardly on top. I sighed, exiting the speeder, Sam's hand in mine. We ascended the stairs, halting when the house seemed empty too. I furrowed my brow, eyes focusing on a table laying in the middle of the table.

 _Sam and Tucker_

 _If you find Danny, you may take him home with one of you. We were called into a meeting with the mayor, and will leave for a convention right after._

 _The Fentons._

I sighed in relief. Sam smiled at me, her hand squeezing mine as we made our way to my room. "Pack enough of your stuff to keep at Tucker's. I don't want you coming home for a while." Sam told me.

I nodded, packing my clothes, laptop, and some of my journals. I slung the bag over my shoulder, my room looking a little empty. My parents would get the idea.

"Okay, well, I gotta get home. I'll see you tonight." Sam told me, pecking my lips softly as she parted ways with us. Tucker and I continued down the road, my bag heavy. "Your parents won't care?" I asked.

Tucker scoffed. "My mom loves you." He told me, shoving my shoulder as we neared his house.

"Tuck, your mom is a social worker-"

"Who won't do anything unless you ask her to." Tucker reassured. "She knows that you love your parents…" He trailed off. Did I love my parents anymore? Did they deserve it?

I sighed, following Tucker inside the house. His mom looked up, her eyes flicking towards the bag on my shoulder and the confusion etched into my features. "...Everything alright?" She asked, her voice worried.

"Yeah, Danny is just going to stay here for the time being." Tucker announced, giving his mom a look. I watched her face as her lips pressed into a thin line, sympathy written over her face. "Of course." She nodded, going back to her paperwork.

"Danny, can I speak with you, honey? Tucker take his bag to your room for me." His mom suddenly announced. I held in a groan, but gave the bag to Tucker anyway. I sat down across from her as she pulled the glasses off her face.

"You know my profession yes?" She asked me. I sighed, but nodded anyway. She gave me look. "I can do something about this, you know." She told me.

I shook my head. "You don't know the whole story." I told her, looking away. "Daniel, I don't need to to know that you are being abused." She deadpanned.

I flinched. "I'm not being _abused_."

"You are being emotionally abused, I can sense that from far away." She said, giving me a sad smile. I looked down, taking in her words.

"I can do something if you want me to." She said, patting my hand. I shied away from the gesture, folding my arms over the other. "Thank you, but no thank you, Mrs. Foley. It's not that bad there." I lied.

"...Then why are you staying here?" She asked.

I looked into her eyes for a long while, and I could tell the pain from the past couple years was starting to creep into my eyes. I turned on my heel and walked away without another word.

I could tell that gave her the answer that she was looking for.

…

I sat up with a gasp at 2 a.m. I looked around at my surroundings, seeing Tuckers dark room. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that I was safe. Tuckers heavy breathing came from my side, and I got up and tiptoed out of the room.

I had dreamt of my parents. They had been operating on me. I could see my open chest cavity, and the scientific pleasure on their faces. I had been dying on that operating table.

I felt tears start to trickle down my face as the memories hit me with full force. I quietly cried on the sofa in the living room downstairs.

"Daniel?" I heard Tucker's mom call out. I froze, the tears still flowing as my instincts told me to run. "Are you alright?" A hand was gently placed on my back and I flinched away, looking up at her face.

She was sad and confused, even as she sat down across from me. Mrs. Foley didn't say anything at first, just watched me. The tears wouldn't stop, and I knew that even in the dark she could tell I had been crying.

"I promise, I can help you." She whispered. I shook my head violently. "No." I said, my voice breaking. "It's deeper than you think. I'd be gone before the first court date." I told her, my tired and hysteric state making me tell her.

She froze, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"..." I looked away, not saying anything. She scooted forward, taking a deep breath. "I'm not a social worker right now, okay? I'm just your best friends mom. You don't have to tell me anything." She told me, resting her hand on my shoulder. I nodded, and she took me into her arms.

I hadn't had a mom hug me in such a long time. I cried on her shoulder, her hand scratching at my hair. "Everything will be fine, Daniel. You can stay here as long as you want, and when you are ready to talk about everything….I will be here." She whispered.

I nodded, my quiet cries, shaking my body slightly. She smiled and wiped away the last of my tears. I smiled at her before getting up, denying her offer of tea. I went back into Tucker's room and found him sitting up and looking confused.

"...It's fine. I'm fine." I told him, my voice scratchy and hoarse. He nodded, and sighed. "I'd offer to cuddle you, but you have Sam."

"No homo?" I asked in a small voice. I was still reliving my nightmare in my head, and I don't have any issue with cuddling with guys. I embrace my feminine side or whatever. Tucker laughed, not caring that it was 2:30 in the morning. He shimmed over, leaving a space for me on the bed. I climbed in and we awkwardly laid here.

"We won't speak of this tomorrow. Or the next day." Tucker suddenly said, and wrapped his arms around me and burrowed his face into my neck, making me laugh.

"Whatever you say, Tuck." I said, his warmth making my voice sleepy.

We both, slightly awkwardly, drifted off to sleep. The last thought in my mind was, how the hell did we both fit on his twin bed.

…

 _Thought I would develop Tucker and Danny's bromance a bit. I guess there's a little Savant Par if you squint._

 _also a little about myself recently. I haven't been posting as often because its my final semester of high school! I'm graduating in june and I'll be going to college for Music Therapy which I'm going to love. anyways, ive been super busy and hope that you guys are liking the updates I had prewritten!_


	12. Be the Hero

_Danny's POV_

I woke up to quiet giggling, but I felt warm and confused, so I tried to drift back to sleep.

I burrowed further into the warmth that was behind me, the warmth pressing against me further. The giggling didn't stop, and was joined by another voice.

"How long have they been like that?" A hushed voice whispered.

The laughing voice took a deep breath, still giggling, and said, "I think since three a.m., but I'm not sure. It's adorable."

The voices laughed, growing distant. I groaned and peeled open my eyes, unable to go back to sleep, when I realized.

Tucker and I were spooning.

I was the little spoon.

"What the hell." I whispered.

"I know dude." His voice startled me, making me jump, his arms tightening around me on instinct. "Well, uh." Tucker said awkwardly.

I turned around, his face really close to mine, both of our faces red.

We stared at each other for a good three minutes before I was pushed off of the bed onto the ground, both of us starting to laugh at the same time. I jammed my elbow into the bedside table, the pain and my clumsiness making me laugh harder as Tucker felt around for our glasses.

I kept running into walls, giggling madly as I walked down the stairs to the living room, where Tucker's mom and dad were sitting. Sam was also curled up in the arm chair, all looking generally amused. I paused halfway down the stairs as her eyes shot up to mine.

"So when were you going to tell me?" She demanded.

I froze. "Uh, what?"

"That you and Tucker are dating."

Tucker ran into me, shock making him jump and knock me down the rest of the stairs.

My limbs flailed as I tried to regain my balance, but failed as I tumbled down the stairs, my long limbs trapped under each other.

Tucker stared at me as I untangled myself, glaring up at him. Sam watched in concern, having stood up as I took the rough tumble. Tucker's dad just stared at the three of us and started chuckling. "I'm too old for these shenanigans." He laughed, grabbing his briefcase and heading out the door.

Tucker, Sam, and I burst out laughing, Mrs. Foley joining in soon after. "But no seriously, that was an adorable cuddle session going on up there." Sam smirked. I blushed, my hand rubbing at the back of my neck.

Tucker shrugged. "Nothing wrong with boys hugging."

"Nothing wrong with boys spooning, you're so right, Tuck." Sam still smirked. She grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly.

I looked at them with adoration in my eyes, wondering how I would've survived if I didn't have them.

…

 _5 months later_

"Tuck!" I screeched into my DCOMM, a prototype that Tucker had developed for situations like this. The ghost swung its axe, and I ducked, almost getting decapitated.

A crackle came from the device in my ear, and suddenly Tucker's voice was all I could hear. "Okay, it's got a chink in the armor, under the left arm. That's a weak spot you should focus on." He told me and I smirked, flying at max speed of 120 mph to catch up with him.

I focus an ectoblast at the chink, the ghost screaming in rage and agony. "Don't like tastes of your own medicine?" I called out, smugness in my tone. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow, floating in place as the ghost paused and stared at me.

Suddenly, an arrow found a place in my shoulder, causing me to scream in pain.

I collapsed on the ground, breathing through my teeth as warm ectoplasm pooled down my arm. I whipped my snow white bangs out of my eyes, and looked towards the two medieval ghosts, who were advancing on me. "Shit." I cursed into the COMM link.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam's voice asked, and I bit back a comeback of annoyance. "Yes, peachy." I hissed.

I ducked into an alleyway, my shoulder screaming as the ghosts struggled to keep up with me. "These guys aren't going to let up." I said, causing Tucker to groan in annoyance.

"You know, if you'd train us-"

"Not going to happen, Sam." I snapped, flying upwards, trying to ignore the arrow. I fired icerays at them, freezing them for a solid five seconds, but five seconds was enough to grasp the thermos and suck them in. Blood was still pouring out of my wound as I capped the lid, and I bit back a scream as I made my way to Sam's house.

"Headed your way, Sammy." I said into the COMM and then I turned it off, not wanting Tucker to hear the inevitable fight. Tucker's laugh sounded in my ear and then cut silent. He cut off transmission as well.

Sam was standing in her room, an angry scowl set on her features. She gestured to the chair she placed in the center of her floor and I carefully sat down.

She inspected the wound as I removed the COMM link. She placed a hand delicately on the arrow, but sharply pulled it out. I used a pillow to muffle my scream.

"Wow thanks for that." I snapped. Sam glared at me, grabbing gauze. "Transform." She shot back. I held my glare as I transformed, blood now pooling red onto my back. She removed my shirt, as I fought back a blush, and went about cleaning and dressing my wound.

"It'll need stitches." She said suddenly, getting out our Phantom First Aid kit. I sighed but prepared myself as she gently stitched the wound closed.

"You know, if you would train us." She began harshly, but I didn't want to hear it. "Look, Sam. It's dangerous enough for me by myself. I would just be worried about you guys the whole time." I snapped.

"You wouldn't have to be worried about us if you _trained_ us." She continued. "Sam, the minute you stepped onto that battlefield, I would be worried about you."

"You are acting like I can't take care of myself." She said, tugging harshly as she finished up the stitches.

I growled under my breath, turning to face her despite the pain. "Sam. I know that you can take care of yourself."

"Then why won't you train me?" She snapped. "Because, I. Don't. Want. You. To. Get. Hurt." I hissed at her.

"That's not your decision." She said crossing her arms.

"Good thing it's my decision to train you. Which I won't do." I said, placing my hands on my hips.

This was a common fight between us now, and usually the only thing that we fought about period. But the fights would last days on end, to the point where I didn't know if our relationship would survive it. I wasn't going to let up, however, knowing that if she got hurt it would be my fault.

"Then I'll have frostbite train me." She snapped.

"He doesn't train humans." I pointed out.

She was quiet for a few minutes. "Who knows, maybe I'll ask your _parents_. After all, they were effective against _you_." She said harshly, making me freeze.

I stared at her, watching as her anger lowered until guilt and uncomfortableness. At least she knew that what she had done was wrong.

I didn't say anything to her as I grabbed my shirt of the floor and shoved it over my head. "Tucker will finish the bandages." I spat, transforming and flying away. I made my way to Tucker's house, transforming as I hit the floor of his room. My things had their own drawers, I had space in his closet, and his curved desk had two chairs. I had moved in completely and hadn't really talked to my parents since. They checked up on me from time to time, but hadn't asked me to come home yet.

Tucker noticed the pain on my face and raised an eyebrow. I just took deep breaths as I willed myself to calm down, eventually releasing a screech and throwing an ectoblast at some science project that I had gotten a perfect score on. Tucker jumped up and forced me to sit down.

"What the hell happened?" He asked me, noticing the blood on my t-shirt.

"Sam was patching me up, and she kept saying that I should train her. My life would be easier if I trained her to fight with me. My answer is still no. I don't want to be worried about you guys in the field. I trust you both with my life, but I wouldn't be able to handle it." I said, my throat growing tight.

He gazed at me, expression unreadable. "What happened after that?"

"She told me she would try to get trained by my parents, because at least they had useful tactics against _me_." I said, my voice rapidly losing the anger, and was replaced by sadness. Tucker froze, his face becoming hard and angry.

"I don't know what to do Tuck. I love her. But she keeps acting like this and I don't know how I'm going to handle it." I said, rubbing my face in my hands. He ignored the part where I told him that I loved Sam before I told Sam.

He sighed, patting my shoulder. "Clean up. I'll be back in a few." He told me, leaving the room. I sighed, knowing that he wouldn't always be on my side. He knew her longer. I went into the bathroom, stripping down and getting in the hot water. I watched the ectoplasm and blood go down the drain, deciding that that probably wasn't good for the plumbing.

I bit back a rush of guilt, washing gently over the stitches that wouldn't be useful in a few hours. The wound would be healed soon.

I finished, shutting off the water and wrapping myself in one of the towels Mrs. Foley had apparently set out while I had been in the shower. I walked into the bedroom, surprised when Sam flung herself into my arms, squeezing tightly. My eyes widened as I struggled to keep ahold of the towel around my waist.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. It was a low blow. I'm just tired of seeing you get hurt when I know that there's something I can do about it!" She told me, her voice upset and angry.

I sighed and hugged her back, forgetting about the towel for a minute. "It's fine. I know you didn't really mean it. Sam, I just….if you were on the field, I would be too distracted, knowing that if you got hurt, it would be my fault that you were there in the first place. And, god, I'm too in love with you to live with myself if you got hurt." I said, word vomit making me reveal my feelings.

Blush lit up my chest, neck, and cheeks. I laughed awkwardly to myself as she let me go and took two wide steps back.

"Can I get dressed before you tell me that you don't love me?" I said, desperation apparent in my tone.

She threw me a pair of boxers and sweatpants that she found behind her, and I slipped them on under the towel before discarding that behind me, pulling the door closed.

"Are you done?" She asked, her tone unreadable.

"Yep." I said, preparing myself for the worst.

"I love you too." She told me, a small smile on my face.

My thoughts froze, and I briefly noted that Sam was the only one who made my brain shut up long enough to just live in the moment.

"You what?"

She laughed, her smile finally reaching her eyes. "I'm in love with you too." She told me, stepping closer. I crossed my arms around my chest, feeling self-conscious suddenly with my shirtless state.

She stepped right in front of me. "I love you, Danny Fenton." She whispered, and I couldn't keep my hands off of her as I forcibly pressed her lips against mine, pulling her closer to me.

She hooked her arms around my back, holding on to me as we kissed, not wanting to let go. I didn't want to lose her. She made everything okay.

I backed up, the back of my knees hitting the edge of the bed. I fell over, Sam landing on top of me, her knees on either side of my waist. She deepened the kiss, trailing her hands down my chest.

When she pulled away from me, trailing kisses down my jaw and latching on to my neck. "You know, this is Tucker's bed." I said, my voice breathy.

"I literally could careless."

I looked to the doorway, to find Tucker staring and glaring at me. I went to stop Sam, but she bit on my pulse point, making me let out a high keen.

Tucker burst out laughing, while Sam looked up and smirked at me. "Okay, to be honest, I'm going to have to burn my sheets. Why do you guys always do this to me?"

I just blushed, my entire body going red as Sam and Tucker smirked at me. "I hate both of you." I told them, before going invisible and hiding myself from their eyes.

They laughed again. I grumbled to myself, willing myself to calm down. "So are you guys okay?" Tucker asked. Which, to be honest, was a stupid question.

"Obviously." I said, becoming visible next to Tucker. "Yeah, that hickey that I watched you get really spoke to me."

Sam laughed, cutting short when we saw the Ghost sense pour out of my mouth. Sam and Tucker watched me pale and roll my shoulder back. "...I gotta go." I told Sam.

She sighed, but nodded, giving me a kiss on the lips. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." I said, squeezing her hand, and transformed then flew away.

…

 _Sam's POV_

"Ohhh, the L word." Tucker mumbled. "Yeah…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I guess we should get in position for when he needs us." He said, shoving a COMM link in his ear.

"Remember what I asked you about?" I asked, pressing my lips together.

"The suit? Sam, I didn't think you were serious." Tucker said, eyes wide. "I was, and this is the only way he'll take me seriously."

"Sam, he doesn't want you out there."

"I don't care. I need to be out there." I said, watching out the window, hoping that everything was going fine and that he wouldn't rip his stitches or need new ones.

"...I'll develop a prototype, but I'm not going to tell him about it." Tucker glared. "I hate keeping things from him, you know that."

"It'll be hard to develop it when he lives here…" I mumbled. "I have a place that I can. I'm renting out a workshop to make our Phantom gear. I only work on stuff here when I need his input."

"What have you made so far?"

"I only have the spandex suit that you gave me, because I thought you were kidding about me making you a flight enhanced, on call, super suit." He deadpanned.

A crackling was heard, and suddenly Danny's voice filtered through the speakers. "Hey Tuck, it's just Boxxy. I'll be back in like, five minutes." He said, and I sighed in relief.

"I know you are worried about him, but if you keep this secret from him….it could harm your relationship." Tucker said. I frowned.

"The ghost fighting hurts our relationship, Tuck. I barely see him alone anymore." I pouted. "I can tell, being as when you are over here, you guys are all over each other. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife." Tucker snorted, typing away at his computer, making up scematics for the suit.

I smiled before processing what he said, setting my features into a glare. "Not cool."

"...You guys really haven't done anything yet?"

"Shut up Tucker."

Danny flew in a moment later, Tucker quickly closing the file on his computer and replacing it with our 'Danny' file.

Danny smiled at me, transforming back. "See! I'm fine." He said, a proud smile on his face. "I'm glad." I whispered, pulling him into a hug. I felt him relax into me and I knew how hard this had been on him.

His grades hadn't plummeted like he had expected, and because of his genius, he was never expected in class. He would give assignments to me to turn in for him, and would try to show up for presentations and things, but often would just have to give the teacher his notecards and say that he had 'lost track of time'.

I was worried about him, and this suit would help me.

Suddenly, Danny's cell started ringing from the corner of the room, making him sigh and pull away from me.

"Hello?" He asked, not looking at caller id.

"...Hey mom." He mumbled, rubbing at his forehead. Tucker and I tensed, as we always did whenever his parents called him.

"...Right now?" He asked, his voice hesitant and unsure.

"...Okay. I'll be there soon." He told them, hanging up the phone and looking at us with a depressed expression. "...They'll let me continue to stay here as long as I continue to come home for tests. They have new chemicals and things that they think will help. If I don't, then I have to come home….or go to the Guys in White." Danny explained.

Tucker and I sighed, knowing that there was no way around this. "You don't think they know Phantom is you?" Tucker asked. "...I don't think so, no. They were interviewed the other day, and I know what they look like when they are talking about me, but with different words." Danny explained, throwing on a jacket and grabbing his keys.

He kissed me on the cheek, leaving me and Tucker to stand and look after him.

"I know this is going to sound awful, but we have a window to work on your project now, if you don't mind walking for five minutes." Tucker said. I nodded.

"It'll get my mind off of whatever they'll be doing over there." I told him, following him out the door, my discarded jacket still on the floor.

…

 _Danny's POV_

I pulled into my old driveway, pausing as I looked up at the building. I was terrified of going in there, but I took a deep breath and pulled my keys out of the ignition, and got out of the car.

My mom opened the door, a friendly smile on her face, and waited for me as I walked to her. "Hello Daniel. You look well." She said, a cold scientific edge to her tone.

I nodded. "I am." I told her, a firm hesitance in my tone. "Well, go make yourself comfy in the lab. You'll be there for a while. We will be taking blood for blood count, including ectoplasm count. We will then be taking a muscle sample from your arm, and seeing how much of the ectoplasm is infused into your genes. After that we will text ectoranium contact, and finish with scheduling a vivisection with that _ghost half of yours._ " My mom finished angrily.

I paled, stuttering. "I didn't think you knew."

"Of course I know, I'm not stupid. Your father, however, doesn't. He hates your ghost half, however, I think it's fascinating. How long have you known that you could do that?" She asked, her voice cold with hate.

"Since the accident." I said with a quiet tone. Her eyes hardened into a glare, and she backhanded me across the mouth, sending me sprawling to the floor, hitting my head on the edge of a table.

Oh, how I missed my family.


	13. Can't Remember When I'm With Her

_Danny's POV_

I woke up, my head pounding. Blood was pooled around my head where I was lying. I sat up, my head pounding with each movement.

I was in a cage.

A cage.

The walls were a stark white, my blood vivid on the floor, reflecting off of the white surfaces.

"Good morning, Mr. Fenton." A voice said, making me jump back into the blood pool. A man wearing a white suit and black sunglasses, smirking down at me. I glared. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice small.

"The Guys in White Secret Facility." He told me, my blood running cold. "It seems you have gotten into an accident and have been infused with Ectoplasmic DNA. Do you know when this occurred?" He asked, holding a clipboard and pen.

I kept my mouth shut, glaring up at him. He sighed, clicking the pen shut and crouching down to my level. "Look, son, I don't necessarily agree with this, but I have to abide by my company's guidelines, just like your parents."

My gaze turned dark, and I felt my eyes burning. "They are no parents of mine." I hissed, raising my hand in his direction. I watched his hand twitch toward his waistband as I fired an ectoblast in his direction, making a run through the open cell door. The alarms started blaring as I shoved my foot in a door labeled _Patient Belongings_.

I grabbed my phone, thankfully still in my jeans pocket, before throwing everything in a white backpack. I had no idea how long I had been gone for, and I was in no mood to find out. I froze, going invisible as feds poured into the room, going quiet.

"After the months that he's been here, we finally get somewhere with him….and he _escapes_." A Guy says.

I froze, memories flooding through my mind. Surgeries, vivi-sections, electrocution, memories of everything that had happened to me finally broke through my mind, making me cower in fear, my heart feeling like it was going to burst out of my chest.

"His parents weren't kidding when they said this kid was smart. If he wasn't a mutant, we could use him in Programming or Inventions." An Agent muttered. I phased through the wall, staying invisible as I left the facility, transforming and flying through the air when I was free.

It was Spring.

The last time I was outside it was _January_. I felt tears start to run down my face as I touched down in downtown Amity. A picture with my face on it was posted to a lightpost, and while I was still invisible, I looked at the picture of me and Sam.

 _Sam._

I gasped silently, gaping in the direction of her house. The tears wouldn't end, flashbacks of everything happening in my mind.

" _Mom, please, you can't do this to me! I'm your son!" I yelled, her face not changing as I was chained to the back of the Fenton RV._

 _My dad was in the house, holding a bag of my things, crying. "Maddie, please don't do this. We can research him ourselves."_

" _Jack this has gone on long enough." My mom said, hitting the accelerator, and backing out of the driveway and towards my doom._

I almost collapsed onto the ground, but kicked into the air, heading towards Sam's house.

She wasn't in her room when I landed, so I phased into reality and collapsed onto the ground, holding my still bleeding head in my hands and roughly tugging at my hair.

 _My mom unloaded me from the back, government agents immediately swarming around us. "Two years. I apologize for keeping this a secret, but he was our son. Not anymore." My mom told them, her eyes cold and focused on me._

" _Mom!" I screamed an agent holding what seemed to be a drill to my skull. "Not here Agent O." The Head Agent told him, and the dragged me away into the cold facility._

I sobbed, clasping a hand against my mouth, hearing the front door open and shut, and two pairs of footsteps climbing the staircase. I prayed that it was Sam and Tucker, because I didn't know what to do.

 _They strapped me to a metal table, their voices calculating as they hooked me up to different machines. The drill pressed close to my head, and I never stopped screaming as they turned it on._

 _Pain._

The door to Sam's bedroom opened, two gasps ringing out as I continued to cry, my sobs getting louder.

 _When the drilling stopped, the Agents shoved to needles into my skull, connecting them to the bone. When the hands were removed, they turned on the electricity._

" _Anything to shut him up." My captive smirked, the voltage making me scream._

" _Prepare instruments for immediate dissection. If we can't get him to use his powers, I want to find any abnormalities in his body."_

A hand pressed into my shoulder, and when I opened my eyes, all I could see was the Agents and the stark white room. I jumped away, shaking the hand of my shoulder.

"Please don't hurt me." I sobbed, the hands not moving. Gently, the hands pulled me against a warm body, making me calm down slightly and breathe. The white room melted away and I was in Sam's bedroom, Tucker staring down at me, and Sam sitting against the wall, holding me tightly against her. I gripped her hands, my tears not stopping but I completely relaxed into her, making her sigh in relief.

Tucker looked at my head, and nodded. "I'm going to run to my house, okay?" He said, stroking my hair back from my forehead and making me look at him. "I'll be back with the first aid kit. We thought you'd show up there." Tucker nodded, running out the door.

Sam stroked my hair away from my eyes, holding me as I finally stopped crying. "Can you transform for me, baby?" She asked, her voice small. When I did, she once again breathed a sigh of relief.

"I love you." She whispered, and I turned around in her arms, placing my lips on hers, her presence comforting me.

"I love you too." I whispered against her lips, my heart beating fast. She gripped my shoulders and stood me up, pressing our lips together rougher. I gripped her waist, feeling that if I let go I'd be back into my prison.

"Make me forget." I whispered, and she looked up at me, her gaze clouded with desire and confusion. When she didn't get the point, I pressed our bodies together and pressed a heated kiss onto her lips, pulling away and repeating my words. "Make me forget."

She finally nodded in understanding, pressing her lips onto my neck as she ran her hands underneath the white shirt I was wearing. She pulled it over my head, kissing at faint scars and bruises.

"Tucker will be back soon." She whispered, laying me down onto her bed. I shook my head.

"I don't care." I whispered, losing my thoughts in her lips.

….

 _Sam's POV_

I didn't fall asleep after, feeling content with listening to him breathe and watching him sleep.

I didn't agree with the way he wanted to forget everything that happened, but I wasn't going to argue with him. I needed it as much as he did.

I hadn't known what to do, when everyone realized he was missing. Three months without him, made me realize how lucky I was to have had him for as long as I did. Phantom was missed in the town too, but no one made the connection between the two. Tucker and I got condolences from various students and teachers when it was decided that if he didn't show up in the next few months, he would be declared dead.

I woke him up long enough to get him dressed, dressing in a large t-shirt and black spandex myself, throwing an old pair of his sweatpants I kept at my house. I threw the patient clothes away, wrapping them up in a trash bag.

He fell back asleep, seeming to be so tired he didn't dream. I checked on his wound, the holes in his head looking like they were closing, and no longer bleeding. I sighed in relief. Tucker hadn't returned, knowing he would be gone longer because of his parents.

I looked at Danny, stroking his hair as Tucker came in the door. "Did you get him to go to sleep?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah."

"Did he make you get in pajamas too?" Tucker asked, an eyebrow raised. I nodded, not wanting to give it away. "He wouldn't get in bed without me, and I wasn't getting in bed in tights, so." I told him.

I was blushing, so Tucker took a minute. "That's cute. I know that you missed him." He said. I nodded. "Tucker, this is bad. We don't know where he was….or why his parents haven't been in town recently…."

I pulled my spandex down from where they were riding up my thighs and sighed. "Tucker...I-"

"Sam, he'll be okay." Tucker told me.

"I'm not so sure." I said. "You saw the way he was….." Tucker nodded, and handed me the first aid kits. "...I'll be back tomorrow. Talk to him." Tucker told me, and then left the way he had come in.

I breathed a sigh of relief, embarrassment about what had happened washing away now that I was alone with just a sleeping Danny. I went into the bathroom, drawing a bath before going back into my bedroom and shaking Danny awake. His eyes fluttered open, and as soon as his eyes took in mine, his face flushed scarlet.

"Thank god you weren't awake when Tucker was here, or we would have been found out for sure." I chuckled. Danny cracked a smile, before it disappeared entirely.

"...Can you tell me what happened?" I asked, shooting closer. He nodded. "My mom called me home, and...well...she knew. About my ghost half. She took me to the Guys in White." He whispered.

I gasped, my hand tightening its grip on his. He nodded. "I don't remember much, only bits and pieces come into mind when I think about it. They wiped my memory every time I rebelled. I only remember the first day….the day they drilled holes in my head...stuck in needles and electrocuted me." He said, a tear falling down his face.

"The rest of the time is a blur. How long was I there?" He asked.

"Three months." I said, kissing his temple. He sighed. "The town?"

"Missed its protector...but Tucker and I handled things." I told him, apprehensively. He froze, his face contorting into irritation, before he sighed and dropped it. "I started a bath for you if you want." I told him. "You'll want to get the blood out of your hair and everything." I said. He nodded, getting up, his sweatpants low on his hips.

I watched him as he walked to my bathroom, sparing me a second glance. "Come on, its not like you haven't seen it." He said, not turning towards me, but I held in a smirk when I saw his neck was completely red.

"...Yeah. An hour ago." I laughed, but followed him away, helping him into the bath before washing his hair for him, his back to me. He sighed in relaxation, pushing into my fingers. The soap was coming off a dark red, staining the water. I felt scar tissue on the sides of his head, but his hair covered it from view. I took a moment to scan his body (for wounds) and noticed a gaping cut on his shoulder. I shuddered, but it wasn't bleeding so I didn't alert him to it yet.

He dunked his head under the water as I exited the room, getting a t-shirt ready for him. He came back out, looking clean and happy, wearing his sweatpants, and throwing the t-shirt over his head.

It was only six in the afternoon, and Danny looked like he was considering something. "I need to tell Tucker's mom what happened." He told me, throwing on some beat up converse that I had kept.

I nodded. "Are you going to go to court with your parents?" I asked. He shook his head. "No...but I need someone to know what happened so that I can go back to school. Graduation is coming up and I need to prepare." Danny said, and I rolled my eyes.

"There he is. That's my genius boyfriend. Who was accepted to all the colleges you applied to while you were gone." I told him.

"Where are you going?"

"I haven't decided." I shrugged. "Tucker is staying here, at APU." I told him, walking out the door with him.

"...I might do the same...because I kinda need to stay here to protect the town." He told me, looking conflicted.

We stayed down on the sidewalk, some people doing double takes when they noticed Danny. Danny didn't pay attention, quickly walking to Tucker's house. When we arrived, Danny walked through the door, immediately meeting a tight hug from Mrs. Foley. "We were so worried about you, honey." She whispered, squeezing tighter.

"I have to tell you something." He mumbled, looking skittish. Tucker came down the stairs at that moment, eyes wide. "Anything, sweetheart."

…

 _Danny's POV_

Tuckers mom had become more of a mother to me than mine had been since the accident, so I felt comfortable telling her.

But I was still afraid.

I looked in her eyes, seeing nothing but love and support in them, but I still found myself stumbling over what I wanted to say.

Not to mention Sam was behind me and I couldn't look at her without thinking about two hours ago and-

 _Woah, Fenton back on track now._

I took a deep breath. "My parents are ghost hunters, as you know." I said, wringing my hands together. Her eyebrows furrowed together, but she nodded.

"...When I was fourteen, I used to help them with a bunch of their inventions, the most notable being the Fenton Ghost Portal….I had noticed that they had placed the on switch on the inside, which was why it wasn't turning on. I told them this, and went to fix it, but I had never been that coordinated, so I tripped and pressed the on switch."

I hadn't even told Tucker and Sam this yet, so they were hanging on to every word just like Mrs. Foley.

"I came out….different. And my mom was scared and confused about what had happened. I didn't die….but I did die. I'm half ghost, half human. My mother-" I had to take a deep breath, feeling tears start to burn my eyes. "My m-mother couldn't see that I was still her son. At first they hid it, didn't want anything to do with it. I wasn't allowed to mention it, and if they saw me using any abilities at all they would…"

I flashed back to when my mother would beat me for not being able to hide my abilities.

"They would…"

I flashed back to when I was locked in my room for a solid week over summer because I didn't eat for three days because I wasn't hungry.

Sam rubbed my back. "Come on."

"They abused me." I finally shot out. "They did terrible things, took my blood, and tested on me to _fix me_. _How did they not know you can't fix a mutation? They tried to kill me!_ " I said, tears starting to run down my face.

Mrs. Foley was in shock, her hand clasped on her mouth.

"So...when I moved out basically, they left me alone finally. I was happy. Tucker and Sam saved my life. I tried to help the town using my powers. My mom knew that it was me, even though I kept it secret. She asked me to come home, and sent me to the Guys in White where I was tortured for three months, most of it I can't even remember, nor do I want to remember-" I was sobbing at this point and Mrs. Foley took me into her arms.

"It's okay, honey. You are safe now." She whispered. I clung to her, crying harder as she held me tighter, just like my mom used to. "You are welcome here, never forget that. I love you like my own son, Daniel." She whispered, letting me go. "All of your stuff is still here. Why don't you three go upstairs and get some rest." She told me, motioning all three of us up the stairs.

"I have to finish some designs to the suits I'm making me and Sam, so you guys can just chill." Tucker said, giving me a look.

That flicker of irritation was back when I thought about Sam out in the field. I pushed it down, not wanting to start a fight.

Sam and I sat down closely on my pull out bed, Tucker typing away on his computer. I pressed my lips on to hers, slowly kissing for what seemed to be only a few minutes, but actually ended up being twenty, because Tucker broke us up when he was done.

"Okay, that was horrifying to listen to, but I am not mad that I'm hearing it. You and Sam deserve to be happy, but I expect you to cuddle with me tonight, Daniel." He said.

I laughed, a real laugh, for the first time since I was captured.

But the horror was just beginning for me, because I could feel the memories stirring in my mind, just waiting for something to trigger them.

….

 _Lit._


	14. Compromise

_Danny's POV_

I decided to go to school the next week, Mrs. Foley already alerting my parents that I was home and safe, the manhunt being called off. Strangely enough, only my father was at my house, and he sounded genuinely happy that I was alright.

" _Call me when you are home from school….I have things to tell you._ " My father had said. I found myself agreeing, being as he was upset that I had been taken in the first place.

I had nightmares, spending more time in Tucker's bed than my own, finding that I only didn't have nightmares when I was _with_ someone.

Speaking of sleeping with someone, Sam and I hadn't….well, _talked_ since that day, and while we both didn't regret it, I think we would rather keep it to ourselves rather than tell anybody.

So Tucker didn't know, and neither did anyone else. Which was fine, I liked keeping it between us. It was private anyway.

I picked Sam up at her house, Tucker riding shotgun for the first time in a while, he kept shooting me concerned glances. I had woken up the night before with a nightmare so bad I threw up from shaking so hard.

Sam got in the back, kissing me on the cheek and sitting down. "Lancer is about caught up with you, meaning you'll be with the class. I don't _think_ that you've missed anything except projects, but the teachers love you."

"Have they been told that I'm coming back today? I've only been back a week." I said, shuddering slightly. It's only been a week since I've been safe.

Tucker noticed me pale and nodded. "Yeah, my mom told them three days ago that you'd be returning to school today."

I nodded, shooting him a grateful smile, before pulling into the parking lot. Immediately, eyes were on my car, worried glances and confused glances as I got out, dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. A bandage covered an old unhealing wound on my shoulder that we think I had been cut open. The bandage wrapped around my bicep, clipped on about halfway from where the sleeve ended, so eyes lingered there.

I took a deep breath, and slung my backpack over my good shoulder and took Sam's hand, her hand reassuring in mine as we walked into the school. No one's eyes left us, even as we entered the doors. Immediately I was more comfortable in school, a small smile coming onto my lips.

Sam noticed, and squeezed my hand with a smile on her own lips, kissing me gently in the middle of the hallway. This got even more attention than before, but more so smiling. From my understanding, Sam hadn't been herself while I had been gone, and people noticed her smiling when I returned, because now she had someone to come home to.

I never wanted to leave her again.

Alas, we had to part ways for first period. I checked in with Mr. Lancer, getting the work for the next few weeks. He pulled me into a hug, telling me he was happy I was okay and back. I hugged him back, telling him I appreciated it, before going into the library, waving to Mrs. Chap, who smiled warmly in my direction and raised her hand.

I put in headphones and got to work, finishing most of the work from English before Sam came up to me from behind, making me jump slightly. I removed my headphones, pushing my glasses up my nose as I snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her into my lap. "Hey." I said, kissing her cheek.

"Hey. Did you not know that its been three periods?"

My eyes widened in surprise as she giggled, tracing her fingertips along my jawline before connecting our lips together. We kissed slowly before Tucker's _annoying_ voice interrupted us.

"No sex in the library, please." Tucker joked, but made Sam and I's faces heat up in an intense blush. She immediately got off my lap and sat next to me, an embarrassed smile. Tucker, for once, noticed that reaction and raised an eyebrow. "Were you actually considering it? I don't think the library is the best place for a first time." Tucker said, watching us carefully.

I refused to look at either of them, playing with my pencil. Sam cleared her throat. "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous." She said. I looked at her and she was pointedly not looking at my face.

"UH, Sam, I have to talk to you, about, love things. Be right back, Tucker." I said, grabbing her and going into the library shelves.

"So, like. Do you regret what happened or?" I asked. She immediately shook her head. "Of course not. I thought you did. Especially since you didn't tell Tucker."

I deadpanned. "I thought you didn't want me to tell Tucker."

"He's your best friend. You are _supposed_ to talk to Tucker about sex and girls." She said, taking my hand.

"Oh. I'll bring it up at some point I guess. I just didn't think you wanted anyone to know."

"Literally same."

We both looked at each other and started laughing, making Tucker looked up from his place at our table, looking even more confused.

"Come on guys, we have to go to health." Tucker called to us, ignoring Mrs. Chaps outraged shush.

"Come on, Mrs. Chap, you are so used to my loud mouth coming in here and disturbing the peace." He called out, not looking at her.

"That doesn't mean I enjoy it, Mr. Foley." She called back, going back to writing down things.

I laughed and walked with Sam and Tucker to health, the only class I really went to at this point, because the teacher believed just because I was smart, didn't mean I got to cut class whenever I felt like it.

I hated Mrs. Nickols.

Anyways, I sat down at my desk in the back of the class, Sam sitting in front of me, Tucker next to me. "Do you know what we are doing today?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Tucker shook his head, yawning and relaxing into his desk. "Sex ED lesson or something." Valerie said from behind me. I turned and rolled my eyes, getting her to crack a smile. "Good to see you, Fenton."

I nodded, turning back around as Mrs. Nickols took roll. "Glad to have you back, Mr. Fenton." She said, nodding in my direction. I nodded back, and then she set down the roll sheet and looked up at us.

"You guys are seniors now, and while this curriculum was cancelled for younger kids in our school district, I have it approved for you all. Raise your hand if you have been in a relationship at any point in your life. Well, middle school and up."

The majority raised their hand, albeit Tucker which made me snicker as he glared at me. "Keep your hands raised if you are still in a serious relationship."

Most lowered their hand, save for like five people. I kicked Sam's ankle under the chair, hearing her snicker under her breath.

"...Now. Keep your hands raised if you are virgin." Mrs. Nickols said. "Now be completely honest. You all are all consenting age."

Sam and I slowly lowered our hands, making Tucker and most of the class gape in our direction. The other three students kept their hands up.

"I hate both of you." Tucker announced, crossing his arms. That got a few chuckles, Sam and I blushing redder than a firetruck. Mrs. Nickols nodded. "Now the rest of the class, if you are a virgin raise your hands."

The majority of the class raised their hands again, making me and Sam feel completely uncomfortable. "I guess some don't need to know this, but we are going to be talking about safe sex."

…

Tucker walked with me to my car, Sam telling me she'd see me later and that she would walk home. We walked in awkward silence as Tucker contemplated something.

When we got into my car, as I was buckling my seatbelt, I looked up to be almost completely forehead to forehead with Tucker. I jumped back, glaring at him. "Sooo….?"

I immediately understood. "Do we have to talk about this now?" I asked. Tucker nodded excitedly. "You are the one that didn't tell me when it happened, so uh. Yes." Tucker deadpanned.

I sighed. "Look, I was emotionally unstable and Sam hadn't seen me in three months so after you left things happened."

"...Are you talking about the day yOU CAME BACK? I WAS GONE FOR AN HOUR! WHAT IF I HAD COME BACK!" Tucker exclaimed, his yelling getting some looks and prompting me to pull out of the student parking lot.

"Guess that would've been super awkward for you, because I honestly doubt me or Sam would've noticed." I said honestly.

"Disgusting."

"You asked."

The rest of the car ride was in comfortable silence, Tucker tapping on his phone while I made sure to get us home safely. When we entered the house, I immediately froze.

My dad was sitting Mrs. Foley, and she looked tense but relieved. My dad looked up, taking me in and looked guilty when he saw the bandage. "Hey Danno." He said, not untensing. He looked uncomfortable on Mrs. Foley's couch.

I went to sit across from him, Tucker sitting with his mom. "I was going to call you…?" I asked. My dad took a deep breath. "This is something better said in person." He seemed to mentally prepare himself.

"What I helped your mother do….was wrong. I shouldn't have sat by and let her when I had a problem with it. I just believed that I could keep you home longer if I didn't say anything to her and helped her. She didn't see the change in the portal like I did. She looked away, while I was trying to get you out. I watched you transform into...well, Phantom, and then back into my son. I knew that you could do great things with your powers...I just didn't want to lose you or your mother." My dad said, not pausing that much. I watched in fascination as he took another deep breath.

"Your mother, with me slightly forcing her, is on a six month trip to Germany for a Ghost Hunting convention. She left two days ago, leaving me to tell her when you would be released from GiW, but when I went to release you, they say that you had already escaped. I told them to stay away from you, that you were only a teenage boy. They agreed, since they don't know which ghost you are, to leave you alone as long as you don't do...anything they don't agree with." My dad finished.

I nodded, getting up immediately and hugging him. "Thank you." I whispered. "I don't expect you to trust me completely, Danno, but I want you to know that I've always been on your side, and from this moment on I'll make sure you know I'm on your side. Starting with telling your mother that I released you early." He said, ruffling my hair. It was awkward since I had an inch on him now, but that didn't stop him from performing the comforting gesture. I smiled as he left, Mrs. Foley looking shocked and proud.

She got up. "We should take a look at your bad shoulder." She said, and took me into the kitchen to rebandage the wound. "Do you think that you'll be continuing to fight ghosts?"

I nodded. "I took on the responsibility. I'm not allowing Tucker or Sam back into the field once this is completely healed." I told her.

She removed the red tinted bandage. It had started bleeding slightly when I slung my backpack over it on accident. That had resulted in me throwing the bag down and crying out in pain. Many teachers had come to my aid, until I told them I was fine. Dash had even picked my bag up for me and had gently handed it over.

"Well, I guess they won't be in the field anymore...This is healed." She told me. "Must have triggered the healing when I hurt it earlier." I said, throwing back on my t-shirt and headed up to our bedroom, where Tucker was working on a suit design.

"...I don't want Sam in the field." I told him.

He looked up. "She has been handling things fine."

"Tucker I asked around. I know that she was knocked unconscious most fights." I deadpanned. "Of course they were calling her "NightShade" and not Sam, but I still knew it was her."

Tucker gulped. "...I don't know, Danny."

"Do you have a suit?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. Sam never let me use it-"

"I'll train you, and teach Sam the basics if she promises to stay out of it." I told him. He got an excited glint in his eyes, before he realized something. "...You said Sam stay out of it."

I sighed. "I only told your mother I would keep _you_ out of the field. I said nothing about you in the suit."

"You'd keep me?" He asked excitedly. I nodded. He laughed loudly, fist pumping the air. " _Finally._ I get my moment!"

"One condition!" I said. He stopped, looking fearful. "You have to convince Sam. You can tell her its all my idea, but I'm only training her and you if she hangs up the suit."

Tucker sighed. "Alright, I'll call her."

I grinned. "Love you." I said, kissing him loudly on the cheek as he flailed around. I collapsed on the bed, giggling slightly and taking out my homework.

Tucker closed Sam's suit design window, and got up from his desk, phone in hand. At that moment, Sam walked in. "Oh hey, I was just about to call you." Tucker said. I didn't say anything, just placed my hand on my cheek as I did a math assignment.

"About what?" Sam asked. "Danny told me he would train us." He lead in, making Sam light up with excitment.

" _If_ you promised to not fight in the suit." Tucker finished. Sam looked at me enraged. I shrugged. "That's my offer."

"You need help, Daniel!" She snapped. I nodded, motioning for Tucker to continue. "He also thought you would say that, I'm seeing that now thank you _Danny_. He told me I could fight with him."

"But not me?" She asked.

"Not you." Tucker and I said in unison.

"...It's a start." Sam mumbled, sitting down next to me. "It's not what I'd like, but I'll take it. I'll get you to change your mind."

"Not probable."

She pressed her lips to my ear. "I have ways of being very persuasive."

"Slightly probable." I said, lighting up in a blush. Tucker snorted from his place on at the computer, while I continued to work on homework.

…

 _I woke up, cold and shaking. "Wake up freak." A voice said into my ear. I peeled open my eyelids, staring in the face of Agent X._

" _Guess what we have in store for you today?" He asked._

 _I remained silent as he put on restraints. "We are going to dissect you."_

" _Again?" I asked quietly, my voice breaking. "Again." He smirked, leading me away. Up until then, I had always been put under for experimentation._

" _You won't be getting antithetic. We don't want the local hospitals wondering why we take so much of it at once. We ran out last time." He smirked._

 _I was strapped the same metal table. I protested weakly, fighting against my bonds that contained me._

 _The cool, sharp point of the knife running down my chest-_

I woke up with a sharp gasp. Tucker sat up quickly next to me. "You okay?" He asked quickly.

I nodded, hand pressed firmly against my chest, my heart beating rapidly.

"No you aren't." Tucker whispered. "I-I-" I stuttered, the memory still fresh in my mind. I froze, not able to move or speak, not even when Tucker shook me. "Shit." He muttered under his breath, flipping on the light and exiting the room. The room seemed to be closing in.

"Yeah, I think he's having a panic attack." I heard Tucker say. His mom came into the room, and sat down on the bed with me. "Breathe Daniel. Take deep breaths." She told me.

I took a shaky breath, feeling light headed. "Okay, do you need anything?" Mrs. Foley asked, Tucker coming up to me as well.

"...Sam." I told her, and immediately transformed and flew from the room, not caring that it was three a.m.

I touched down on her soft carpet, watching her look up sharply. "You okay?" She whispered. I nodded, transforming and collapsing in her bed. "Nightmare. Needed you." I mumbled, now that I was with her I was sleepy.

"Okay." She whispered, allowing me to burrow my face in her neck and take in her warmth.

"Love you." I whispered.

"Love you too."

…


	15. Master's Biggest Secret

_Danny's POV_

I woke up from the best sleep I've had in months, wrapped around Sam at around 6 a.m. It was Saturday morning, meaning Sam's parents wouldn't be waking her up today.

I closed my eyes again, more than content to just sleep away the day. Sam shifted in my arms, blinking up at me. "Morning." She yawned. I leant down and kissed her softly on the lips, not wanting to part with her. She hummed happily, snaking her hands behind my neck as we kissed.

She pushed me gently into the sheets, straddling my hips. She ran her hands down my chest, reaching the waistband of my sweatpants when there was a knock at the door. "Sammykins?" Her mother called out.

Sam and I hurriedly separated, opting to pretend to be asleep rather than have Pamela walk in on us like that. I closed my eyes, my arms tense around Sam's waist as she opened the door. "Sam?" She called, and I heard her steps falter. "Oh." She whispered. The blanket was around our waists, showing we were completely clothed even though that hadn't been the intention.

The blanket folded up over us as Pamela smoothed it out over us. "Pam?" Jeremy's voice said. "She's sleeping dear. Best not wake her. She is a creature of the night." Pamela covered for us, laughing at her own little joke. The door closed and I immediately let go, letting out a sigh of relief.

"God there are sometimes that that woman is a blessing." Sam laughed, kissing me soundly. I ran my fingers down her waist, and stopped. "I should probably go." I whispered.

She rolled her eyes, pulling me back down to her lips using her leverage on my shoulders. I laughed quietly.

"Or you could stay." She said, her voice daring me to do otherwise. I laid back down on the bed, allowing her to be above me once again.

"Or I could stay." I gave in, not complaining as our lips connected once more.

…

I left her house later, much later, covered in love bites and bruises. I knew, I _knew_ that Tucker wouldn't let me hear the end of it, but I went back home anyways, happy that he wasn't awake yet.

I laid down in the covers, still a little tired from...well, Sam's house. I closed my eyes, burrowing in the blankets.

"Don't go to sleep." Tucker's groggy voice said, making me jump.

His accusing glare made me smile sheepishly. "So do you guys just fuck whenever you are alone now or…?"

I rolled my eyes. "Uh, no?" I laughed, still cuddled in my black and white comforter. "That's what it seems like. It's like you guys are addicted or something."

I shrugged. "I honestly don't think that's how it works." I mumbled. "Did you not get enough rest at Sam's house?" Tucker demanded.

I opened my eyes, a cheeky smile on my lips. "Absolutely not." I winked, laughing as he hit me with his pillow. "I'm just glad you are feeling better." Tucker huffed. I sighed, nodding my head. "Me too, but right now, I have to pee." I laughed, getting up.

"Holy shit." Tucker said, whistling under his breath. I turned around, crossing my arms. "What?" I demanded.

"Nothing dude. Nothing at all." Tucker said, a smug smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and turned back around.

"Sam's just got some nails on her, that's all."

A blush exploded on my cheeks as I rushed to the bathroom. I used the bathroom and came back, Tucker still looking smug. "Don't look so smug, they'll be healed in twenty minutes." I said, blush not leaving me cheeks.

"That's lucky." Tucker sighed. "You guys are so cute." He groaned.

I rolled my eyes, tensing as my ghost sense went off. "Back in action." I sighed, transforming and flying out the window. Skulker was waiting in the sky, his arms crossed and waiting. "You're back. I was wondering how many times I had to knock out the girl until you showed up."

I huffed. "I was out of town." I told him, his smirk growing. "Not anymore." He said, firing his ecto blaster. It hit me in the chest, sending me sprawling through the air, fire feelings like it was coursing through the burn.

I hissed under my breath, eyes shining brighter as my anger showed. "Aw, Skulker. Did you miss me?" I smirked, taking in his glare. He took pride in the fact that I was wheezing. "Oh please. I just missed you because of the fact that your pelt will hang at the foot of my bed."

I dodged the oncoming rain of ecto rays, hoping to god that Sam and Tucker would stay out of this one. I felt a little out of practice, but I was using my instincts at this point. Nothing that the Guys in White could take away from me.

I ran up the south side of a bank, front flipping into the air as I reached the roof, dodging and ducking, getting a few ecto blasts in here and there. A dark blur shot past me at Skulker, a purple ray shooting out of the front of a hoverboard and hitting Skulker, sending him flying in the opposite direction.

I folded my arms across my chest, raising an eyebrow. 'NightShade' looked at me in unamusement, doing the same. "You weren't doing all the well. Maybe you should leave it to me." She mumbled.

"Sam, what was my deal?" I muttered, not saying her name loud enough for the passersby to pick it up. She rolled her eyes. I looked in the suit. It was a dark black with purple accents, the upper portion of her face hidden by a mask, her hair tied back in a ponytail. "I know what you've heard, but Danny _please_. I can help you." She mumbled, looking uncomfortable. She shifted back and forth on the hoverboard.

I felt a burst of pride in my chest. She just wanted to help me. She wanted to be there for me and protect me like I protect everyone else.

I sighed, going to give in, when Skulker appeared behind her. I gasped, firing an ectoblast behind her. She shot forward towards me, looping around and coming to a forced stop next to me, firing as she went.

"I saw your face. That was your 'I'm giving in' face." She said, sounding smug. I rolled my eyes, flying forward and kicking Skulker in the jaw. "It's different that you can fly. Does that suit have a safety feature if you fall off the board?" I asked, landing punches in Skulker's weak spots.

She fished a thermos from her side, throwing it in my direction. I sucked Skulker into it, grinning in triumph. "Yeah. The board can sense me not on it and race to find me before I hit the ground." She shrugged. I landed on the board, it only slightly losing altitude with my added weight. I snaked an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss onto her lips, her arms coming to wrap around my neck.

Flashes behind my closed eyelids alerted me that _shit_ we weren't alone. Sam had the same idea, saluting me and flying off as I went the opposite direction towards Tuckers.

" _The masked ghost hunter Nightshade and Danny Phantom were seen in a passionate embrace in one of Nightshade's first successful fights. Has Danny Phantom been training her and this was a show of gratefulness, or are the superhero duo something more? Stay tuned on Channel 4, Amity Park Local News._ "

That was playing on the TV when I touched down in his room. "Your guy's body language definitely cries 'we-have-had-sex'." Tucker stated.

"Okay quit it with the sex stuff. Yes I have sex with Sam but no it's not all the time. It's only been twice."

Tucker threw his hands up in surrender, but his face quickly shifted to happiness. "Overall, Phantomshade is the number one 'ship' of Amity, most people being okay with it. People who don't have a problem with ghosts generally think that this will be good for the relationship between living and dead."

I nodded, placing my hands on my chin. "I gave in. I knew I wouldn't last long, but it only took her actually proving that she could fight with me to change my mind." I told him. Tucker nodded. "I knew you would dude. We are a team. I suck at fighting anyways."

I frowned. "I still think you should fight with us. It should be the three of us." I said. "Now that I'm okay with Sam on board."

Tucker shrugged. "Maybe sometimes if the threat is big enough, but I think I'm just going to make a drone for now and fight from my room. I've been working on the prototype. Besides, I think the town is okay with Night-Phantom anyways."

I rolled my eyes at the ship name, otherwise happy with what had happened. "Biggest ghost hunting duo since the Fentons." Tucker read. I sighed.

"When I was 10 years old, my mom took me to one of the ghost hunting conventions with my dad. They were so happy. They still are sometimes, I just feel like I ruined their marriage." I said, voicing my feelings on what my dad had told me for the first time. Tucker sighed.

"They will get through it if your mom learns to have an open mind. It's never been your fault, Danny." Tucker reassured. I nodded, feeling silly for thinking it.

I sat down at my side of the desk, running through my usual routine of doing extra assignments and checking Tucker's work. I nodded to myself, humming a tune under my breath. "Hey, Danny. I'll be back shortly. I'm testing a prototype of Sam's suit where she wouldn't need the hoverboard to fly." Tucker told me, and then left the house.

I didn't get a chance to reply, but I shrugged and continued with what I was doing. Suddenly, my ghost sense went off. _'Again?_ ' I thought to myself as I transformed and flew through the open window. I looked around my surroundings, not seeing anything that would've triggered my ghost sense.

"I've been watching you for awhile, Phantom. I have to say, I didn't think that you would impress me as much as you have." A voice said. I turned around, looking straight into the red eyes of a ghost I hadn't seen before. He had blue skin, black, pointy hair, and fangs. His white outfit reminded me, once again of Dracula, cape and all.

"Well, I haven't seen you before." I muttered, calculating gaze taking him in. He tipped his head to the side in interest, looking as if he recognized the gesture. "Forgive me. I am Vlad Plasmius. I make my home in Wisconsin." He introduced.

"Danny Phantom. Born and raised in Amity Park." I gestured around. Plasmius nodded, raising an eyebrow. "I've never met a ghost that fully wanted to protect people. How did you die, my boy?" He asked.

I looked around, some people stopping to see the conversation, and others running like hell. "I was electrocuted in a portal accident." I told him quietly. Plasmius seemed shocked. "How long ago?" He asked.

"Two years ago was my death day I believe, but I didn't come into the human world until recently." I told him. He nodded. "Yes, I noticed that. Do carry on. I expect to see more of you now. Ta." He said, and disappeared with a flick of his cape. I floated there for a minute, jumping when Sam's voice came from behind me.

"Who was that?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

…

Two weeks later, I had stayed home from school with a cold. Nothing serious, but I was caught up anyway and thought that I could use the day off. I cuddled into my comforter on Tucker's bed and closed my eyes, hearing Mrs. Foley leave to head to her office. I got up, shoving my feet into my shoes, having worn jeans and a t-shirt under the comforter. I knew Mrs. Foley, Tucker, and Sam wouldn't let me research Plasmius by myself, so I had to wait until I had an excuse to be alone.

Praise my shitty immune system.

I ran out the door, backpack slung over my shoulder. I got into my car and drove to FentonWorks, my dad's RV parked soundly in the driveway. I opened the door, having visited every weekend when I had time.

"Hey Danno! What's up?" My dad called from the kitchen table. "Do you know anything about a Vlad Plasmius?" I asked, sitting down across from him.

"That vampire ghost from Wisconsin? Sorry son, but I am just surprised at his existence as you are." He frowned, passing me a piece of fudge. I shoved it in my mouth in irritation. "Sorry I can't be more help." He said apologetically. I looked up, a sly smile on my face.

"I'm gonna go into the 'Zone for answers. Can you get Sam and Tucker off of my-" I sneezed. "Tail for a while? Tell them I didn't stop by? This is something I need to do on my own, and I don't want Sam in the Ghost Zone for right now." I told him.

He nodded. "Do what you have to." He told me, getting up and cleaning up the fudge. I quickly went downstairs in the basement and opened the portal, transforming as I flew inside. I did a quick scan, the Ghost Zone feeling a bit homey as it usually did. I flew in the direction of Skulker's island, hoping he wasn't still salty from the last time we fought.

"What the hell do you want Phantom?" Skulker's irritated voice called out to me. I flew closer to him, on guard just in case he got sneaky. "Do you know anything about Vlad Plasmius?"

"Of course I do. He's one of the richest, most powerful ghosts in existence." Skulker rolled his eyes. "Or so he says. I believe richest. Powerful….well, Pariah Dark still lives."

I tilted my head to the side. Skulker groaned. "He is the king of all ghosts. Anyways, Plasmius's portal is south. It's hidden by a giant pink football for some reason." Skulker told me. "Now, get. Or I'll stab you in the throat." He told me, shooing me away and continuing whatever he was doing.

I smirked, thankful for the information and cataloguing Pariah Dark's name for future reference, before heading south. I was flying for about twenty minutes when I ran into the Box Ghost.

"Look, Boxxy. I really don't have time right no-"

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

I slapped a hand over my face in irritation as he started on his monologue. "King of all square, yada yada yada." I finished for him, sucking him into the thermos for good measure.

"I might leave you in there for a week or two, buddy." I hissed at the container, before latching it to my belt and continuing my journey.

An hour or two later, I was hungry, kinda cold, tired, but I found the portal. The pink football was easily moved, and I entered, coming face to face with a pristine, state of the art laboratory.

"...Funny, how you seem to find me." Plasmius's voice greeted my ears, but as I turned around, it wasn't Plasmius.

It was Uncle Vlad.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "So, who told you about me?" He asked, his voice a perfect replica of the ghosts. I was speechless, my brain unable to comprehend what was right in front of me.

"Speak Ghost." He spat, walking up to me. "I don't have all day, so what do you want." He asked. I, unable to speak, just took a step back, watching in fascination as black rings of light separated at his midsection and transformed him into Plasmius.

"P-Plasmius." I stuttered, eyes wide. "Yes. Who told you of my status as halfa? I demand to know." He spit out. "I was going to offer to help you, dear boy, but it seems that you have other plans." He said, mistaking me finding him for challenging him. He fired pink ectorays at me, and I was still too in shock to duck, or think of ducking.

"W-wait." I stuttered again, but he didn't hear me as he grabbed me and pulsed electricity through my body. I screamed in pain, but kept my transformation at bay as he threw me away from him, my head hitting roughly against the wall.

"Are you going to tell me why you have come, or am I just going to have to kill you for knowing too much?" He asked, his voice sinister.

I watched him with wide eyes as I stood, my vision fuzzy as I walked towards him, his eyes never leaving mine. I knew I was going to pass out, but I had to tell him.

"I've always s-sucked at t-telling you t-things...h-haven't I?" I asked him, my stutter barely there. His eyebrows furrowed in surprise as I willed the transformation, becoming his godson that he cared for.

His eyes widened further, taking in my icy blue ones. "Daniel?" He asked in a whisper, transforming as he caught me before I fell to the ground, unconscious.


	16. Let Them SEE You For Who You ARE

_Danny's POV_

I peeled my eyes open, the room in front of me dark. My muscles hurt and I could see that there was a bandage wrapped tightly around my chest. I sat up painfully, walking through the door and into the dimly lit hallway. I pressed an arm around my midsection, using the wall as a support as I walked along the hallway, coming to a stop at the landing. I had been in Vlad's mansion plenty of times, and I could see the way he was slouched over on the couch that he was upset.

He was guilty. I walked quietly down the stairs, my breathing heavy as I overexerted myself while injured. I came to a stop behind him. "Quit blaming yourself. You didn't know." I mumbled. He jumped, his eyes coming in direct contact with mine.

"Daniel." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Exactly. So there is no logical reason why I could be mad at you." I reasoned, a small smile placed on my face. Vlad got up, taking me in a gentle hug. "How did this happen to you?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same question, Uncle Vlad." I told him. He laughed, nodding. "Yes, I do believe you can. It was in college. Your father didn't have the right readings on a prototype of the portal. It, quite literally, blew up in my face." He told me.

"I take it they didn't know that you had, well, side effects." I said. He nodded. "Not that they would've done anything."

I shrugged. "You never know."

His eyes flitted over my face, taking in my blank expression, before realization kicked in. "Have they harmed you?" He asked.

"My mom was the biggest instigator of the experiments but yeah. It started out with good intentions, just trying to find a cure. Then it came to the fact that they needed to know more about me to find one. Then my mom gave up and just decided to make me her personal lab rat." I explained.

Vlad's face exploded in anger, his eyes flashing red. I grinned, knowing that I could do the same thing. "And your father?" He asked.

"Is on my side, and is letting me stay with my friend and his parents, who know about my secret. Well, his mom does."

"I'm glad that you aren't living with her." Vlad told me honestly. "She's in Germany right now, so there is no way she can get her hands on me. Not that my girlfriend would let her."

"...Nightshade? And do you know her secret identity?" Vlad asked. "Yeah. She was my girlfriend before she was Nightshade. She became Nightshade when I was, well. My mom had turned me into the GiW." I told him.

He froze. "Daniel….I am so sorry." He told me, laying a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged. "I really don't remember the couple months I was there. I get nightmares sometimes, but only when I sleep alone, or am not tired enough to not dream." I told him.

He sighed. "That doesn't make what happened to you any better. If you need anything, I'm here." He explained.

I nodded. "Thank you Vlad. And no worries, next time I'll kick _your_ butt." I smirked. He rolled his eyes and pushed me to the side, ignoring my laughter.

"Also, your phone has been ringing since 7:00 PM Amity time." Vlad told me.

"What time is it here?"

"3 a.m, so like 6 a.m. in Amity Park."

"Well, shit, I am so screwed." I groaned. "Language."

"Okay, _butter biscuits_ , I'm so screwed." I amended, laughing slightly. "I need to leave, I need to get home."

"Okay. Are you strong enough to get there?" He asked, laying a firm hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "Thank you." I told him. We walked down to the lab and he opened the portal door for me. "Anytime you need anything, little badger, I'm here." He told me one last time, before I transformed and shot through the portal, flying home.

I hadn't brought my phone, so Sam was definitely going to kill me, but I _wasn't alone_. Someone else knew exactly what I was going through. I had always known that Vlad and I shared something more, but I had always been too afraid to tell him what _she_ had done.

It took an hour and a half before I landed softly in the lab. My chest ached from the long flight with no stops, but I transformed back and went upstairs, my dad nowhere in sight. It was 8 a.m., meaning school would be in session. I drove to the Foley's, avoiding any sign of life in the house as I threw on a black t-shirt and dark wash jeans. I shoved my glasses back on my face and ran back downstairs, getting in my car and driving to school.

My chest still hurt with every movement as I parked my car and ran into the school, backpack slung over my shoulder. I checked in to the main office, telling me that we were in 3rd period. I shrugged and made my way to Mr. Lawrence for Calculus. Tucker had this class with me, so as soon as I walked in, his head shot up from where he was boredly watching the board.

"Welcome back, Mr. Fenton. You may take your seat if you wish to stay in class for the lesson." He said, looking at Tucker and I as we glared. "Mr. Foley you may be excused as well if you wish." He said. Tucker gathered his things and all but shoved me out of the classroom and into the storage room where we kept extra clothes and medical supplies.

"Okay, tell me what the hell you were thinking? Sam thought you were taken, I had to comfort her for hours last night, she _isn't_ at school." Tucker ranted. "Where the _hell_ have you been?" He demanded.

"Wisconsin." I said in a small voice.

"Why the _fuck_ were you in Wisconsin?"

"I knew you guys wouldn't let me go alone, so I tracked down Plasmius."

"You mean the ghost that _we wanted to help you track down_?" I sheepishly looked to the side.

"Yeah, and well….he's a half ghost too.." I said quietly. "I felt something different about it and I honestly don't want you or Sam in the Ghost Zone."

"What?" Tucker said, his anger momentarily forgotten. "My parents college friend, Vlad Masters. He's like me. He's Plasmius." I said, a smile on my face.

Tucker sighed. "You still should've told us."

"Did you say Sam wasn't here today?" I asked. Tucker shook his head. "No, I was leaving after lunch to go comfort her since you were MIA." Tucker said, his anger slightly returning.

"Let's go now. If you're with me, you won't get questioned." I said, putting back on my backpack and grabbing his wrist.

"Do you feel like a bad boyfriend? Because you should." Tucker told me as we effectively left the house with little complaining.

"I do, sorta. It was something I had to do." I said. Tucker got in the passenger side and I threw the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot. "Jesus Christ, bud." Tucker screeched. I was in her driveway quickly, getting out of the car and walking in the house. Tucker was close behind, going up the stairs with me and standing outside the door while I opened the door.

The reaction was immediate.

My shoulders were grabbed and lips were harshly pressed to mine as Sam pulled me into the room and slammed me against the wall. I could only imagine what Tucker was thinking as I was pulled from the wall and Sam jumped into my arms, straddling my waist. Her legs were locked around my back, my hands supporting her thighs. "Hey, Sam. We aren't alone." I mumbled against her lips.

"You are damn right you aren't alone." Tucker said from his place right inside the door, his expression horrified. Sam huffed and looked over, sliding from my waist and stepping onto the floor. She then punched me in the throat.

I coughed, bending over and collapsing on the floor as Tucker freaked out. "Oh my god! Sam! Why are you both types of people in the world?" Tucker said, coming to my aid. "The person who makes out with her boyfriend who disappeared and _then_ punches him in the throat when he comes back."

I wheezed, glaring up at Sam.

"Don't glare at me. You are the one who disappeared off of the face of the earth without so much as a text. Your _dad_ didn't even know where you went."

"Actually he did. I just told him not to tell you." I said sheepishly, my voice coming out slightly harsh. Sam rolled her eyes.

"What did you find out?"

"That I'm not the only halfa out there. Plasmius is one." I told her. She gaped. I nodded with a 'yup.' "My Uncle Vlad is one too…." I told her.

She got a questioning smile on her face. "...I know that you probably trust him, but keep your guard up. He didn't seem like the type to do heroics."

I scoffed. "Sam, this is Vlad we are talking about. He's been there since I was born." I told her. She nodded. "And I understand that, but still. We don't know if we can trust him." She told me.

Irritation bubbled up. "I trust him. I know for a _fact_ that I can trust him." I told her, a scowl setting on my features. She sighed. "He kept this a secret from you. Wouldn't he know something weird was going on?" She asked. Tucker nodded. "I gotta go with Sam on this one, dude. 'Plasmius' didn't seem friendly...not a first glance."

"Going by that logic, you could say that I didn't look normal at first glance before we were friends. What makes me different from Vlad?"

"...That's different, Danny. I think we should keep him at a safe distance." Sam said, her fingers about to caress my arm when I pulled away. "You are judging him before you know him. Just because of what his ghost half looks like. I thought you were more accepting than this?" I hissed.

She took a step back, eyes wide. "What are you going on about? I'm just saying we don't know-"

" _I've known him my entire life._ " I hissed out. They blinked at me. "What?" Tucker asked. I rolled my eyes. "How could you not know that I literally said it two minutes ago."

"No, dude. You didn't say any real _words_. You spoke in a different language just now." Tucker said. I sighed, rubbing my face. "I don't know what's going on." I mumbled into my hands. "All I know is that my friends aren't accepting of the only other being of my kind." I snapped.

"I gotta go." I said, transforming and leaving the room. I landed on a roof of a skyscraper and curled up, wondering just why they couldn't trust him.

…

The next day, I took a deep breath and phased into Tucker's room, finding him asleep. I had stayed the night at my parents house, feeling weirdly nostalgic. Sam hadn't texted me, meaning she was angry.

I sighed and transformed, shaking Tucker awake. He jumped slightly, looking up at me. "I'm sorry for overreacting." I told him.

He nodded, grabbing his glasses. "No problem dude. I know that you trust him." He said. I sighed, with a smile on my face. "I did some research though." Tucker told me.

I held my hand up. "Let's not say anything that would make me mad, alright?" I said. My phone started ringing at that moment and I fished it out of my pocket.

"Hello?" I asked.

" _Hey. I got to thinking and I'm sorry for saying the things I did about Vlad._ " Sam's voice said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

" _We haven't been on a date in a while, and I was wondering if you wanted to go this goth circus that came into town tonight? It'd be just the two of us._ " Sam asked. I smiled. "Sure." I told her.

I could practically hear the excitement. " _Great! Now that you are going, my parents are bound to let me go. There is an introduction this morning, along with a taste of the acts. We'd have to skip school, but I don't think you'd mind_." She told me.

"No problem. I've finished all of the work till the end of the year anyways." I told her, telling her I loved her before hanging up.

"Are you guys skipping?" Tucker groaned. "Yep. She wants to go to the circus introduction today. You can't go because it's a date." I smirked. "Have fun in Calculus."

"If you'd let me copy your work, It'd be a better day."

"Sorry, I've already turned in everything for the rest of the year." I winked. He groaned, getting up and getting ready for school as I got dressed in a maroon t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and my converse.

"Damn, my boyfriend is fine~" I heard from behind me. Sam was leaning against the doorframe, in a deep purple v-neck, black shorts, and her combat boots tied on her feet. I rolled my eyes. "I could say the same thing about my girlfriend." I smiled.

She laughed, taking her hand in mine as we walked to the trainyard. "This is slightly sketchy." I told her. "Also I've never seen so many goths out in broad daylight."

Sam laughed. "Creatures of the night flock by the thousands for this circus." She said, pointing to a large sign that said 'Circus Gothica.'

"Wonder why I've never heard of it before."

"No idea. It's been around for awhile. It was run by 'Freakshows' parents before they died."

"You learn something new everyday." I said, squeezing our linked hands together as the loud talking quieted as a man in a grey trench coat, and dark clothes with red accents took the stage. He held a staff with a red crystal ball on the top.

" _Welcome, ONE and ALL, to CIRCUS GOTHICA. Where your NIGHTMARES, come ALIVE._ " He said. " _CREATURES of the NIGHT, show EVERYONE your TRUE colors. All BLACK._ " He continued.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam said, the crowd cheering around us.

"Uh, what?" I asked, looking at her confused. "You just screamed to the crowd that we cut school, and we're proud of it?"

"I did?" I asked.

" _Learn from your fellow MISFIT people. LET THEM SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE_." He said, his eyes lingering on me, before he raised the crystal ball.

…

 _It's shorter, but its more of a filler with the next problem being thrown in at the end ;)_

 _(lessthanthree) you guys_


	17. How SHOULD I Scare YOU?

_Oh my god. When I originally came up with idea for this story, I honestly didn't believe it would gain the popularity that it has. thank you all following, favoriting, and reviewing on this little project! Thank you for 100 reviews_

 _I am very grateful for my lovely readers~_

…

 _Sam's POV_

Danny ditched me after the introduction, disappearing into the crowd. I huffed. "So much for our date…" I mumbled and started walking towards the school. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

When I got to the school, it was around lunch, and Tucker was sitting alone. "Hey..? Where is lovebird no. 2?" Tucker asked.

"He isn't here?" I asked worriedly. "No….?" Tucker trailed off, his voice remaining confused.

"He ditched me after the introduction, after embarrassing me when he yelled in the crowd our names and said we ditched school." I said, resting my jaw on my hand. Tucker snorted.

"Our shy little Danny?" He asked. I nodded.

"It was weird. He wasn't acting like himself. He almost _always_ stutters in big crowds but not today. Then, when I asked, he couldn't remember he did it." I told him. Tucker gaped at me before looking determined.

"We gotta go. We have to find him." Tucker said. We made it to the middle of the parking lot before we dragged by our bags by Mr. Lancer.

"Unfortunately, being as you were absent this morning, I am giving you detention tonight. You will spend it with me." Lancer reprimanded.

We groaned, but nodded, going to our 6th period class. "This isn't good, Tucker. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm getting more worried." I told him, signing into history before taking my seat. Tucker nodded, not saying anymore.

The school day went by, my worriedness not leaving me. It was even furthered when I noticed a black, white, and gold (?) figure zoom past the school, police cars following in hot pursuit. Various green entities had been in front. I glanced at Tucker who shook his head.

"There's no way." He whispered. I sighed, staring at my phone, wishing that he would text me and tell me he was alright. Or at least that he was himself.

Detention with Lancer was uneventful. He asked us about school and told us just because we are seniors, didn't mean we could cut school whenever. We had nodded and continued staring at various pieces of technology.

"You may go, but be careful, nothing has been said yet, but there have been multiple robberies today." Lancer told us at 5 p.m. and we hightailed it to Tucker's house.

"Mom! Is Danny here?" Tucker yelled. She appeared in the doorway, face pale.

"No baby. He's not." She whispered, turning back toward the television.

On screen was Danny Phantom. He wore a gold crown with his eyes a bright crimson, controlling four ghosts who were holding various stolen possessions. His eyes darted towards the camera, and he fired an ectoblast, taking out the footage.

I clasped a hand over my mouth, tears collecting in my eyes. "Do you know what's happening?" Tucker's mom asked.

"No idea…" Tucker whispered. "Sam, why would he be acting like this?"

I tried to think. I tried to believe that this wasn't happening and there was a good reason to why he was acting like this. Why he was…..almost evil.

But I couldn't come up with anything. Not that I had a good reason before.

"...He started acting like this at the circus introduction." I told Tucker, a reason flying across my mind as I tried to comprehend.

"Then I guess we are going to the circus tonight. Mom, can you call Mr. Fenton and explain everything?" Tucker asked.

She nodded, going into the kitchen to make the phone call. Tucker took me by the arm and shoved me into Danny's abandoned car, the keys still in the ignition. "Tucker…..You failed your driving test three times." I told him, buckling my seat belt.

"Yes, but I passed it the fourth." He smirked, peeling out of the driveway and towards the location of the circus.

…

Tucker and I parked at the warehouse opposite the circus. Other people had had the same idea, and so we carefully maneuvered in between two cars.

"Okay, we figure out what's going on, find Danny, and then make it back home before any Guys in White or Danny's mom finds out." Tucker told me.

I nodded, forgetting about the fact that Danny was on thin ice with the GiW and his mother. I took a deep breath and headed towards the tent, sneaking in through the back and away from any crowds. There was some Grim Reaper on the high wire, balancing on a scythe, which if I had been in the audience, would've been really neat. I shuffled from behind the curtain, making sure none of the cast saw me. Surprisingly, there was no one back here.

Tucker texted me that he was searching the parking lot and the outside area, leaving me for the inside. A quick scan of the seats told me he wasn't there, or not in plain sight.

"What are you doing back here?" A voice asked me.

I gasped and shot toward the voice. "Oh, shit. Freakshow! This is kinda awesome….anyways…. I've been looking for my friend. He disappeared this morning at the introduction and has been acting a little weird." I told him.

Freakshow's eyes looked insane, as he smiled a chelsea like smile, his red painted lips offsetting the paleness of his skin. I took a step back, paranoid that he would try something.

"...I haven't seen any h-teenagers around here except in the crowd. Perhaps he didn't attend." Freakshows presentation voice spoke, before he turned on his heel. "If you stick around to look, do _not_ touch any of the props and be out in twenty minutes. You'll miss the show." He told me, walking outside to announce a new act.

The curtain tilted to reveal the Grim Reaper who had been on the highwire, who froze when they saw me.

A startled gasp shook the body and suddenly, the hood was thrown back and Danny in ghost form was standing in front of me, a confused look on his face.

"Was it not just nine o'clock in the morning? Where the hell are we?" He asked, his eyes looked dazed.

I gaped in his direction. "Why were you performing-"

" _WHAT is that, SLAVE? FReeWIll? ObEy Me!_ " Freakshow stated, jumping out of the shadows and raising the staff above his head. Danny's eyes shifted from me to Freakshow, to the crystal ball on the top of the staff. I watched as his usually bright green eyes transformed into a dark red, and he turned to me with a glare.

"It seems that we have a trespasser, minion." Freakshow stated. "Get her."

He grabbed my arm harshly, pulling me along through the backstage area. His grip on the scythe he hadn't dropped tightened as I struggled. "Do not make my job any harder than it has to be. Master wouldn't be pleased if I had to kill you." He told me, giving me a side eye as we approached a large cage in the back of the room.

"Danny, why are you doing this? What is he doing to you? This isn't who you are!" I shouted. He looked questioning at first, before another harsh glare adorned his features. A look I didn't like on him.

"Shut up. I don't know who you are. All I know is that you are hindrance in Master's eyes, so here you will stay until the end of the performance so you can't mess anything up." Danny said, his voice cold, the only emotion anger.

I grabbed his wrist. "You have to fight it, Danny." I whispered, reaching through the bars he had locked me in to touch his face. He leaned into it, looking more and more torn about this. "Remember who you are, before you do something you regret."

He pulled away, confusion and hurt spread across his face. "I don't know you." He told me, turning away with a florish of his robe, running away from me and the information I tried to give.

"Fuck." I whispered, lightly resting my forehead on cool metal of the bars keeping me captive. Danny wouldn't remember doing this, I remembered with a jolt.

He completely blacked out under the control of Freakshow, unable to fight it. He wasn't aware like this.

A red mist started to float through the bars of the cage, making my eyes droop in tiredness. I gripped the handles, determination flooding through me.

I'd just have to wake him up.

…

I woke up, blindfolded and feeling weightless. My feet seemed unstable, and I could hear the booming shout of Freakshow's voice in my heightened hearing.

The blindfold was cut off from behind me, and I looked down.

I shouldn't have looked down.

I was in the middle of the highwire, unable to get to either side, Danny blocking the closest exit. His face emotionless except for an evil smirk on his lips as he held the scythe.

I looked around, spotting Tucker watching from the ground, worriedness set on his features. I felt my wrist, the device that triggered my suit still there. I smiled in relief. "Why do you smile?" Danny asked.

I looked up, anger set on my face. "Because I'm not dying today, Phantom." I yelled, leaping forward into his arms and knocking the scythe out of his hand. Tucker's shocked face turned into determination as he ran towards the end of the beam, ready to catch me if I were to fall. But I wouldn't get the chance to fall. I'd let the suit go, if I were to actually fall. Secrets be damned.

"Tucker. Found him." I shouted, wrestling him over the edge and we fell, Danny's arms pulling me flush against him as we flew through the tent. The spectators were _finally_ vacating their seats, realizing that it wasn't part of the act.

I dropped the ground, rolling to a crouch. With a quick scan of the remaining crowd, none of which were paying attention to me, I immediately shifted to my suit, the mask forming on my face as it did every time.

Danny stood, looking at me with rage in his eyes. "Faksjfncv askfjsoi asnfpa." He growled. Just like when he was angry about Vlad, the words that he hissed made no sense, and sounded like a different language.

He swung the axe, and I grasped for the black metal staff, lengthening it and barely blocking the scythe as it swung. "Tucker! Do you have anything that can help?" I yelled, ducking a rolling. I''d never fought a ghost as powerful as Danny before, so I was a bit….well, the fact I just almost got decapitated kinda speaks for itself.

"I'm trying to get a 'Thermos' upgrade downloaded to your suit, but it's taking longer than expected. How long do you think you can hold him off."

I fired an ecto blast out of a wrist gun and sent him flying a few feet back, looking more and more irate by every passing moment we fought. "To be honest, I don't know how I got this far." I told him.

I sidestepped, but Danny finally caught onto my amateur fight pattern and sent me sprawling to the ground. He leaned over me.

"What gives you the right to fight me? You aren't even strong enough to beat me, human." He hissed out, his voice giving off an otherworldly echo.

I let out a gasp of realization. He didn't remember he was half-human. "I'm trying to save you." I whispered out, letting out a pained gasp as he wrapped a gloved hand around my throat.

"Why do you want to save a ghost?" He asked, more forcefully this time, his eyes conveying that he honestly didn't understand.

"Because….because you mean a lot to me, and this isn't who you are." I choked out, gripping at the gloved hand that held me to the ground.

"You wouldn't do this. Ghosts mean nothing to humans. Master told me so. Humans just want to hunt and kill our kind." Danny told me.

I finally was able to pull the hand away from my throat, taking deep breaths. "SAM! You have to make him understand! Do something!" Tucker called out.

The hood had finally fallen back, revealing stark white hair and glowing green eyes. I took a deep breath. "Than why am I in love with one?" I asked, pulling his neck down and forcefully pressing his lips to mine. His breath caught in his throat and he froze above me.

I prayed behind closed eyes that he wouldn't murder me, but his hands shakily gripped my waist and lifted me off the ground. His hands seemed unsure, and he pulled away. To my dismay, his eyes were still crimson, but I could see flickers of the normal neon green.

"Don't kill me. You would never forgive yourself." I whispered.

"Sam now!"

Immediately I raised a hand and a blue beam shot out, Danny's eyes widened in shock and betrayal before he disappeared, a panel of the suit I hadn't seen now ticking with light blue energy.

"We need to get him to my house or your house and hope that him being away from Freakshow-"

We were cut off as I got blasted to the side, other ghosts suddenly appearing out of thin air. "You thought that the boy and I were alone? Gravely mistaken _girl_." Freakshow's nasally voice called out.

A button was pressed on my suit and Danny was back, eyes glowing red with rage. "See what I told you boy? They only hunt and destroy. You are only safe with me."

"Yes, Master." Danny said quietly, not even looking at me as he walked with Freakshow, grey cloak abandoned on the floor. I watched them go, my eyes not leaving the crystal ball in Freakshow's hand.

"We need to get that staff, Tuck." I whispered, clicking my heels together, my hoverboard appearing. Tucker hopped on, nodding.

"That's why he can't break through the hold. The hypnotism is too strong." Tuck whispered back.

I sighed, activating my hoverboard and letting Tucker climb on, before shooting into the air towards Tucker's house. I willed myself not to think about what Danny could be doing right now, at this moment, and tried to think about how to save him.

I deactivated the suit as we touched down and we entered the living room, Tucker's mom and Danny's dad sitting in the living room. "Mr. Fenton?" Tucker asked.

"I'm trying to keep the Guys in White at bay for as long as I can." He sighed. "Have you figured out why he's acting like this?" He asked.

I nodded. "Freakshow, the ringmaster of Circus Gothica, has a staff with a ghost-controlling crystal ball on the top. If we get that, we can destroy it and it's hold on Danny." I told him.

He sighed in relief. "I hope this news doesn't get back to Maddie….she'll….well, I don't know what she'll do." He said as he got up. "I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded at Tamara, before leaving.

"I gotta get home. Will you be okay here?" I asked. Tucker shrugged. "My room will feel empty….but I'll be okay." He said, before waving goodbye as I walked home.

Groaning to myself, I realized we had left Danny's car at the warehouse. Praying it hadn't been destroyed or towed, I continued walking down to my house. My mom was inside on the couch, and waved to me as I entered. "How was your day, sweetie?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Same old." I mumbled, going up the stairs into my bedroom. I closed my door and locked it behind me, spinning around to come face to face with crimson red eyes.


	18. Cured?

_I turn 18 in 13 days….or ya know...on the 27th just in case I don't upload this the day I'm writing it lmao_

 _(i finished writing this 5 days before my birthday lmaoooo)_

 _(lmao i finished writing this on my birthday I just kept the original authors notes lmaooo)_

 _lmao I didn't publish this until like a week after my birthday bc the website wouldn't work on my new computer. this app might save my life xD_

…

Sam's POV

I froze, not wanting to move and make him spring into action. "Danny?" I whispered, backing up and pressing myself to the door to make myself look not as intimidating.

He looked angry and confused all at once, most of it aimed towards me. "Master told me not to leave, but here I am, standing in what I know is your bedroom because all I know is that you are important." He hissed out, clutching at his hair.

I didn't speak, so he continued. "Master tells me to continue to put trust in him. That he'll protect me from the hunters. I know that I was hunted at some point, because I'm terrified of humans...except you."

I sighed. "You are a human too Danny. You aren't just a ghost." I told him, my voice barely louder than a gentle breeze. He squeezed his eyes shut, and for a moment I prayed that when he opened them again that they would be the familiar green.

I was disappointed when they were still the murderous red that I had not gotten used to. "What happened to me? Why do you say that I'm still human?" He asked.

I took a deep breath. "That flicker of warmth inside you. The part that confuses you and feels like it shouldn't be there. That is your human half. The half I fell in love with." I told him. His eyes didn't leave mine, but a hand came up and pressed down on his chest, right where the warmth should be.

"I know that you don't trust me because I'm human, but that's also the reason you know you can't trust yourself around me. You are human too." I told him, placing my hand over his own, feeling the chill of his body through the jumpsuit.

He backed away. "I need to think." He spat. I nodded. "Take all the time you need. You know I'm not going anywhere." I smiled.

He froze at the friendly gesture and immediately disappeared from the room. I collapsed on the ground, my heart beating out of my chest out of fear. I was terrified that I would say the wrong thing and he'd attack. I took deep breaths and steadied myself, touching the bracelet around my wrist like it was my lifeline.

Deep down, the only thing saving me from Danny, was his love for me. The kind that didn't go away because someone wanted it to.

That would be what saved him.

…

The next day I made sure to lay on thick that I didn't want to go to school. Word got out that Danny was missing, and my parents gave me the day off so that I wouldn't have to 'deal with the fact that he was gone'. Mr. Fenton had called at eleven p.m. and told us that the Guys in White would stay away, so long as we handled the situation ourselves.

I had breathed a sigh of relief at that. Danny wouldn't be hunted again. All I needed to do now is get him to realize that he was human, and that I loved and cared for him. Easier said than done.

I sat crisscross on Danny's bed in Tucker's house, holding his glasses in my hand. They had been abandoned in the parking lot and Tucker had brought them home. Tucker came into the room, holding a glass of water to his lips. "Danny was spotted three hours ago near Casper High. Why do I have the slight suspicion that he is looking for you?" Tucker smirked.

I rolled my eyes, placing the glasses back on the night stand. "Probably because I confused the hell out of him. He is supposed to be 'just a ghost'." I said, throwing up air quotes. Tucker sighed.

"How do we get him out of this one Sam? This isn't like any other time…" Tucker said. I paused.

"We _can't_ get him out of this, Tuck. He has to get himself out of it….which is going to be hard. He has no concept of time. He snapped out of it, and asked why it wasn't 9 in the morning and where we were. He is going to need help." I told him. Tucker sighed, but nodded anyway.

"I'll get to tracking him down….You get ready just in case there is another fight we can't afford to lose." Tucker ordered. I nodded, triggering my suit and taking off into the air. I flew around town, waiting for Tucker to phone me in on where to find Danny.

I flew above Casper, various students looking up and pointing at me from the courtyard, and others crowding around the windows to look. I wrinkled my brows in confusion before I was smacked off of my board, going to fast for it to catch me before I hit the ground.

I groaned and got up, looking at my attacker. One of the ghosts from Freakshows posse was looming over me, a vicious snarl on his face. It was the large one, and from my understand, he wouldn't know his own name.

I tried to fire my blaster, but he threw me again before I had the chance. I paled and my heart started racing as I realized that he was aiming to kill. I got up, triggering my board with my feet and immediately taking into the air, away from the large ghost.

"STOP!" I heard someone yell, and when I turned around, Danny was floating two feet away from me, making sure that the large ghost couldn't move. "She is off limits, being as Master has given me the task of taking care of her." Danny growled. I remained frozen as the conversation took place.

"Master has decided that you have been taking too long, too much emotion holding you back." The ghost sneered.

"Abatacus, please. You know me. I have no feelings what so ever for human kind."

The large ghost, Abatacus, scoffed. "That's not what I see from _my_ perspective." He said. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Get out of here before I have to make you leave, Abs." He said, his voice much gentler before.

Abatacus sighed and nodded. "Very well, Phantom. Just know this, Master will send the others if she is not taken care of soon. If you feel like going against him is the right thing to do, I will not be on your side, and you will be alone."

Danny nodded. "Very well."

I watched as the conversation ended, Abatacus flying away. Danny turned to me sharply. "Come with me, but make it seem as you are flying away from me. Head west." He snarled, and I obeyed, turning my board in an effort to make it seem like he was chasing me.

He stopped me several miles away, a thick shroud of forest to hide us from whoever could bother us. "Is…Abatacus…a friend of yours?" I asked, my voice quiet. He nodded. "Members of the cast remain close. We have been together since my arrival."

I nodded. "Freakshow wants me dead?"

Danny nodded again, his emotionless face not changing. "Yes. He feels as if you are threat to him. He enlisted me to take care of you as an act of loyalty."

"But you can't do it." I said, my voice breathy. Danny finally let his face fall into confusion and surrender. "Yes. I am unable to kill you, for reasons I do not yet understand."

"So when you were in my room last night…."

"I was supposed to have killed you, yes."

I took a step back from him, hurt momentarily going across his face. "I do not wish to harm you, Sam." He told me.

I nodded, stepping back towards him. "I know, I _know that_ , but it doesn't make it any easier to hear that you were supposed to kill me. This is kind of big news, especially given that I'm kind of in love with you." I told him.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he started pacing. "There is that word again. Love. How can you love a creature like me? Not alive, but not dead. It's a wonder that you haven't abandoned me yet."

I stepped towards him, making him look at me by placing my palms on his shoulders. "I could never leave you. I loved you even when I found about your ghost half. We started dating after you told me. Love is unconditional. What I feel, I know that it's real because love doesn't judge. You can't pick who you fall in love with, and I fell in love with you." I told him with a whisper.

He closed his eyes, wetness gathering between his eyelids. "I don't understand." He whispered, his voice cracking near the end. I got closer, our lips touching, but not yet in a kiss. "You don't need to understand love to feel it." I whispered, my lips brushing his with every word.

He was the one to close the distance, his hands sure as he pulled me in closer than we were before. He kissed me with passion that I had missed since he had left me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with the same amount of passion.

He pulled away with a gasp, his eyes fluorescent green. "Sam?" He asked, his voice choked with emotion. I smiled wide, all the while remaining in his arms. "Welcome back, love." I told him, kissing him again.

"Wait, wait. Where did I go?" He mumbled against my lips, softly running his fingertips up my sides. I held back a shudder.

"Freakshow has been controlling you for almost two days now, making you commit crimes that you had swore you never would." I told him.

His eyes widened significantly and his hands stilled. "…but you saved me…?" He asked, his voice quiet. I shook my head. "No…love saved you. I love you so much Danny. Never forget that." I whispered.

"I love you too, Sam. More than words could describe." He told me, his voice strong and sure. I connected our lips once again, and we kissed in the middle of the forest in the middle of the day, not to come back to Tucker's house until much later.

…

Tucker was worriedly typing on his desktop, checking local police reports when we finally got to his house. Danny had me fill him in on what had happened.

"Hey Tucker." I said as Danny phased us in through the window. Danny transformed and was immediately pulled into Tucker's lap with a irritated shout as Tucker hugged him. "God you scared the shit out of me." Tucker said from Danny's neck.

I watched in amusement as Danny relaxed and pulled Tucker into a hug. "I know. I'm sorry. Sam told me everything."

Not everything…. I hadn't told him about us fighting yet, worried that he would blame himself.

Tucker had to know this, so he shot me a glance before turning his attention back to Danny. "Well, we now need to find a way to stop Freakshow…but you can't help." Tucker said.

Danny got up abruptly. "Why the hell not?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. "Because the minute that you step foot into the tent, he is going to control you again." I said, my voice an obvious 'duh'.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I can fight him. You can help me." He said, turning his attention to me. I shook my head. "Danny, this is the third time I've tried to snap you out of it, and I won't be able to get you alone again. I'm sorry but you stay here."

Danny furrowed his brows. "Third time?" He asked. I sighed, nodding my head. "The second time was in the circus tent….and you were trying to kill me. I almost did it, by kissing you, but Freakshow made you believe that I was hunting you because you were a ghost." I explained.

Danny paled and sat down on the bed, placing his head in his hands. "I tried to kill you."

"Yes." I sighed, sitting next to him and taking his hand in mine. He started nodding to himself, and then looked at me. "Yeah, I'll stay. Don't worry." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"We can go to my workshop and get you some upgrades for ghosts like that big one."

"Abatacus." I told him. Tucker nodded. "Let's hurry so we can finish this by tonight." I said, and we both left Danny in Tucker's bedroom, not wanting to take any chances.

…

 _Danny's POV_

I laid down on the bed as Sam and Tucker left to continue to try and stop Freakshow, letting Sam's word wash over my blurry mind.

I _had_ known that time was passing slower, but I had honestly believed….that it was still Wednesday morning….the day that everything started. I shook my head, feeling unshed tears start to burn in my eyes.

I had almost killed Sam.

As soon as she told me, memories washed over my brain like a cold bucket of water in the early morning. I remembered wanting her dead, though something in my chest pulled me back just in time. How confused I had felt when she kissed me. How I had felt betrayed.

Memories of hurting her, and memories of her suit almost not being enough….it was too much for me to handle.

I buried my hands in my long hair and tugged, the stinging pain almost making the memories stop. I looked up and placed a hand on my mouth to block out the loud sob that made it's way up my throat and into the room around me.

My mother was right. I was something that needed to be destroyed. As a ghost, I was able to be controlled and made to hurt the people that I love the most. As a ghost, I am susceptible to hurting everything around me, whether it be my parents or my girlfriend, or Jazz and Tucker.

Perhaps it would be better if I wasn't around anymore.

I shook my head, stopping that train of thought right where it was. I couldn't think like that. I was a hero. I helped people everyday by risking my life, and would sacrifice myself it meant that the world could be safe.

I felt the darkness regress back into my mind, but I knew that it would be back sometime, and that I wouldn't be able to hide it from Sam or Tucker.

I nodded to myself and got up, making my way down the stairs where Tucker's mom was sitting.

"Hi, Mrs. Foley." I said quietly, making her jump and turn to me in fear. That look made my throat tighten and burn, my eyes watering slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief and called me over, immediately hugging me. "Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked.

I nodded. "Sam was able to get me to snap out of it… and filled me in on the things I did while I was like that." I said, trying to swallow around the lump in my throat.

"It wasn't your fault. It was that mad ringmaster." She told me sternly. I nodded.

"I get that…it's just…" I took a deep breath. "There are somedays where the only reason I want to wake up is because of Sam and Tucker. Days where I feel like….nothing matters at all. I get careless with ghost fights and push Sam and Tucker away. A-and, w-w-w-well…" I stopped, clearing my throat, hoping to get rid of the stutter.

Mrs. Foley waited patiently for me to finish, looking more concerned by the minute.

"T-there are somedays where I wish I had died in that portal…and that I wish I was dead now." I finished. "That if I wasn't around, then everything would be okay for everyone. I ruined my parents lives, I'm ruining you, Sam, and Tucker's lives….I just—"

She stopped me, a sad look on her face. "Danny….how long have you felt like this?" She asked.

"Since the portal accident. It's why I never wanted friends, I never felt like I would be around long enough to keep them, or even deserve them. Sam and Tucker literally saved my life." I told her.

She sighed. "I think we should look into getting you anti-depressants, Daniel." She said, crossing her arms. "I know thats not what you want to hear, but it may be what you need. Thank you for telling me, and I want you to know you can talk to me whenever you feel like this again. Bottling it up will just make it worse." She said.

I nodded. "It's fine. If it helps me feel like I don't want to die, then I'm all for it."

"I'll talk to your father about it….please know that you are loved Danny. Nobody would be better off without you." She smiled.

I smiled shakily back at her. "I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap, if you need me. Sam and Tucker will hopefully be back soon….I hope." I mumbled, and went back upstairs, feeling infinitely better with getting everything off of my chest.

Sam and Tucker would have to beat Freakshow without me, even though the very thought of Sam fighting without me hurt my heart in more ways than can be described.

I sat down on the bed, peeling off my jeans and t-shirt, and getting under the comforter and closing my eyes.

I dreamt of nothing except fire. With everything I loved burning in the center.

…

 _Unlike Battle Scars Danny, this Danny knows that he needs to talk to someone about his depression, and who else except for Mrs. Foley?_

 _I've never written her as a primary character, and I'm glad that I gave her a shot, because I love who I'm creating her._

 _Anyways, thanks again for reading!_


	19. A Beautiful Date

_love my new computer. it was my graduation/birthday present from my parents :)_

 _Anyhoo_

 _19!_

 _Sam's POV_

Leaving Danny at Tucker's house was the best decision, and the hardest. Danny was simultaneously our best fighter, and the person who absolutely couldn't fight. I didn't want to leave him, but I knew I had to.

I had no idea what I was flying me and Tucker into, Tucker decked out in a battle suit of his own design. I had a few upgrades on my own, but it would be no match for Danny's abilities.

I would have to get Freakshow's staff out of his hand before he could sick his ghosts on us, and hopefully free the ones he has captured.

I landed on the roof of the warehouse, the circus in full swing. This would probably be one of my only chances. Tucker used his grappling wire to descend down the side of the building as I used my mask to point out any possible areas of escape if need be. I kicked my board into the air and flew to the top of the big top, looking inside.

Performers were performing on the high wire, and no sign of the Freak anywhere. I took a deep breath and toggled my invisibility function, however it would only last five minutes. I had to make it count. I flew through the big top, evading the eyes of spectators and ghosts alike. I saw Tucker enter, his suit cloaked into his regular clothes. He sat down and fiddled with his PDA, meaning that he had set up the cameras, and would alert me if anyone started heading my way.

I turned on my DCOMM, and made my way through the tent to the storage unit where all of the stolen goods were being stored. I took a deep breath and hoped that the staff wouldn't be in Freakshow's hand. I flew through the big top, not seeing the staff on my way. Hoping it would be in storage, being as this was the last night of the circus.

I entered the room and uncloaked myself, looking up at the red staff in the middle of the room. I grinned and made my stealthily towards it, signaling to Tucker with two taps on the mic of my comm that I had found it. Two clicks back. Translated to Hell Yes.

I rolled my eyes and placed a hand on the staff, before I was roughly tugged back by my ponytail and forced to the ground. Tucker heard my yell and said he would be on his way. I looked up, Freakshow grinning wickedly at me.

"So you take my phantom, and you decide to take away all of my pets? Tsk tsk, that's just not going to do." Freakshow stated, his breath making my eyes water.

"These ghosts don't deserve what you put them through." I spat, getting up and pushing him away from me. He growled. "I should've made him kill you when I had the chance. I always knew you would be a threat." He mumbled, pacing back and forth.

"But no, you had to remind him about feelings that shouldn't exist. He's. A. Ghost. Why don't you understand that?" Freakshow suddenly yelled.

"He isn't just a ghost, Freak. He's a human being. He's the love of my life, and I'm not letting anything happen to him." I promised, shooting forward and grabbing the staff just as Freakshow did. He tried to shake me off, the ghosts that had finally come as back up growing confused as my hand remained on the staff.

"Let go." Freakshow spat. I rolled my eyes. "Like that would ever happen."

Tucker came into the room at the moment, confusion on his face at have hearing the conversation. He sprung into action, talking the ghosts out of their control. "What are you doing?" Freakshow asked, voice panicked.

"As long as my hand is on this staff, you have barely any power over these ghosts." I announced. He growled, flinging me off of the staff and onto the floor, Tucker immediately being overwhelmed by the ghosts who were fully under control again.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with." Freakshow hissed. "I control ghosts. I could make an army if I wanted. All against you." He finished with a wicked smile.

A black and white blur shot out from the shadows and into Freakshow, knowing the staff out of his hand with echo energy. The ghosts seemed confused, however I was just mad.

"Danny get the hell out of here!" I called out. He turned, his glasses on his face. He was smiling and not under control.

"Since when do you wear glasses in Phantom mode, dude?" Tucker asked quickly. I glared at him.

"I'm seeing the staff through my glasses, not directly. He can't control me while I'm wearing them. I deserve a thank you." He smirked. I groaned, but allowed it, springing into action, picking up the staff while Danny picked up Freakshow.

"How is this possible? You should be under my control, half-human or not!" Freakshow demanded. "I have terrible eyesight, and you have terrible control over your emotions." Danny told him, throwing him to the ground from where they were floating.

I smacked the staff against the ground, shattering it. The ghosts came out of the haze and stared up at us.

"Thank you." One whispered. The ghost Danny had spoken to, Abatacus, stared at him in awe. "Never in all my years did I think I would be free. Thank you Phantom. I owe you so much."

Danny blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "No problem, just doing my job." He said, holding his hand out.

Abatacus took it, and took the remaining troupe away from the tent where hundreds of angry citizens were searching in the tent for Freakshow and his promised show. Danny, Tucker, and I left the scene where hundreds would be finding out about his scams, and finally took Danny's car home, after he glared at us for leaving it there all weekend.

 _Danny's POV_

After Sam, Tucker, and I got to Tucker's after finally defeating Freakshow and saving the rest of the ghosts, we all sat down on the couch and watched the footage of him being taken into custody, proclaiming that Danny Phantom would 'rue the day that he outsmarted Freakshow'. We had laughed, and shut off the TV, Sam deciding she should go home and let her parents know they were right about the circus being evil.

I laughed and kissed her goodbye, telling I'd see her later. Tucker had waggled his eyebrows, making a well deserved punch land on his shoulder. Sam left and Tucker and I were alone.

"…I have depression." I finally mumbled. Tucker looked up sharply, worry clear in his eyes. "What?" He asked, his voice soft.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sad all the time, and sometimes don't even want to wake up in the morning. I-It has to do with everything that has happened since the accident. You guys have made my life infinitely brighter, but the dark will always be there." I explained. "You're mom is going to look into having me put on Anti-Depressants….she is talking to my dad."

Tucker sighed, and hugged me, letting me relax into him. "I love you, dude." He said, holding on tighter, before freezing and adding, "No homo."

I laughed and hugged him back, repeating his words and exiting the living room up into the our bedroom to work on some much needed homework. I was starting to hate going missing because I never had time for my studies anymore.

Fuckin ghosts wanting to always kill me all the time.

I laughed to myself, finishing up a Physics worksheet before looking out the window at the stars that were just starting to dot the sky. I sighed, perching myself on the windowsill and looking up at the constellations that I had always known by heart since I was five years old. I thought about my life back then, when I had parents who didn't think I was a freak, and when I was actually happy.

I closed my eyes and sighed, smiling smally. What happened to that innocent boy who only cared about stars and space?

The world happened.

I had always known the world was a cold place, what with my parents being called crazy and being evicted by a couple rentals before finally getting a deal on the house we had lived in since I was five. Being a genius made your life easier, but it also made it extremely harder to deal with. You knew how bad the world could be, and were terrified of it too.

But you wanted to make your mark on it.

I sighed again, transforming and taking off into the sky. The wind felt nice against my face, calming me down. I hadn't been on a leisure flight in along time, I realized. I felt good, to let go of everything holding me down and just fly through the air. I had left my phone at Tucker's, and for some reason felt happy that I had done that too.

Eventually, I landed in Sam's room, she looking up at me with a smile. I transformed, placing a hand behind her neck and gently placing my lips onto hers, kissing her slowly and without a purpose. Only just to kiss her.

"What was that for?" She asked when we parted, a faint blush on her cheeks. I smiled, shaking my head.

"Does there have to be a reason?" I asked, a laugh making the words softer than intended.

She sighed, pulling me into bed with her and cuddling into my chest. "I suppose not. God, I missed you." She told me, clinging to me. I wrapped my arms around her and smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not again." I told her in a whisper. She hummed, tracing light patterns over my chest.

A thought appeared in my head. Sam was laying down, relaxing and perfectly content to remain in bed the rest of the day, but suddenly I felt jittery. "Let's go on a date." I said.

She looked up, surprised. "Where would we go?" She asked, not saying no.

"To a movie, for a walk, for a flight, you name it! We really haven't had a proper date." I told her. She thought for a moment and nodded. "We haven't had a proper date, have we?" She asked.

I shook my head, an excited smile on my face. "Go get ready, I'll be back here in an hour." I told her. She rolled her eyes, placing her lips against mine once again with a little more passion behind it. I almost got lost in the kiss before I hummed and pulled back.

She smiled and winked. "We can come back here after."

I rolled my eyes, but replied, "Definitely," flying out of her room and back to Tucker's at a breakneck speed. Tucker seemed surprised when I just suddenly burst into the room, but was amused when I told him the circumstances. "You guys are actually going on a date?"

I nodded. "We really haven't been on a real one." I told him. "Yes, I know that. Remember, I'm your number one shipper. I am….Dam trash."

"Fuck off." I said, flipping him off and going to take a shower, a red and gray t-shirt, dark wash skinny jeans, and my converse also in my hands.

I showered quickly, throwing on the clothes and lacing up my shoes as I towel dried my hair, the black strands on my head seeming to angrily swallow my head. I smiled at the mirror, before freezing and peering more closely at my face.

"Are those fucking freckles?" I asked myself, going into Tucker's room and pointing at my nose. "Do I have freckles?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"For how long?"

"Dude, how did you not know you had freckles? It's part of your adorable factor." Tucker explained.

I shrugged. "I've never really looked at my face." I said honestly, slipping my glasses onto my face where I now knew that freckles were. I lightly tapped my nose with my index finger, scrolling through my phone until I got the "I'm ready" text from Sam.

"I probably won't see you until tomorrow." I told him, letting the transformation take over. He gagged. "Gross. Make sure to put some Neosporin on those scratch marks Sam is going to give you."

I flipped him off again, before taking off into the air to Sam's house, where she was dressed in a black flowy shirt, purple skinny jeans, and black flats, her hair curled and resting just at the small of her back.

I gaped at her.

"What?" She asked with a laugh.

"You look beautiful." I told her. She laughed and rolled her eyes, though a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Alright, babe." She said, tapping my nose as she sometimes does. "When you tap my nose, are you tapping the freckles that are there?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes? They are the most adorable feature you have."

I took her hand and led her out of the room, down the stairs and into the outside. "I didn't even know I had them."

She raised an eyebrow. "How the fuck did you not know you had freckles?" She asked. I shushed her and led her down the road to the movie theater, where I knew they would be playing Sam's favorite villain Terminatra's newest movie.

I'm going to be completely honest, we didn't really pay attention to the movie.

After, I took her out to a vegan restaurant just outside of town, and she looked so proud she could've cried. "I can't believe you knew about this place!" She laughed, digging into her Eggplant Parmesan.

I rolled my eyes. "My girlfriend is a vegan, I have to know some places I can take her." I said, flicking some of my rice towards her."

We finished with our meal, and I took her up to the hill in the middle of Amity Park Park. "This has to be the most stupidly named park in the history of Parks." Sam laughed. I watched her as she laid back in the grass and stared up at the stars and the dark clouds, me following behind minutes later.

"I love you." I whispered.

She turned on her side with a smile, our noses brushing each others. "I love you too, Danny." She whispered back. I placed a hand in the small of her back, bringing her closer to me and pressing our lips together.

We kissed slowly, with no intentions of ever stopping, when it started to rain. I groaned and went to pull away, but she grabbed onto my neck, not letting go. "I don't mind the rain." She whispered against my mouth. I kissed her once again, not even bothered by the sudden downpour that was going on around us.

 _lmao funny thing that happened tonight._

 _i have a Tumblr and i posted the sims I created. They were Danny, Sam, and Tucker bc I'm actual trash and it was the most popular post i've ever made on Tumblr_

 _im still crying about it someone tagged it 'LMAOO LOOK AT DANNY'S EMO ASS HAIR'_

 _if anyone wants to follow my tumblr: mckenziemcquillen . tumblr . com_


	20. Conspiracies and Homecomings

_CHAPTER 20 BOI_

 _I need a couple chapters of like….just teenager conflict so i'm introducing a conflict character for Danny hahahahahahah_

…

 _Danny's POV_

I took Sam home about an hour after it started to rain. I didn't want her to get sick or anything, so I took her home and went home myself, too cold and tired to really want to do anything. She pouted but gave me one last kiss goodbye, before I phased out of her room and into the sky, flying quickly through the downpour and back into Tucker's house.

"I thought I wouldn't be seeing you tonight." Tucker noted, not even looking up from his laptop. I rolled my eyes, shaking my hair like a dog while transforming. "Disgusting." Tucker said, his nose wrinkling.

"I'm too tired and cold. Sam insisted on staying out in the rain when it started to pour." I told him, grabbing a hoodie and sweatpants, phasing off my wet clothes and pulling on the warm, dry ones. Tucker laughed. "So basically, you had a _The Notebook_ moment?"

I rolled my eyes but nodded. "Basically. If I'm sick tomorrow, I blame Sam." I told him, pointing a finger in the general direction she would be in. Tucker gave me a thumbs up, quietly closing his laptop and looking at me.

"Is going to be weird? We are finally going to be going to school again without some major conflict."

"Besides the fact I'm behind?"

"….Danny we've caught up with you." Tucker deadpanned. I shook my head. "That means I'm behind. I've never been with the class before."

"You still really aren't, but whatever." Tucker said, turning off the lamp as I was getting into bed. Tucker grabbed my glasses from where I had laid them on the bed and put them on his shelf, giving me a glare. I shrugged, and closed my eyes, excited for a normal day.

…

I woke up three hours later at 4 a.m., with a glare at the wall. Tucker's snores weren't the things that woke me up, but the quickly dissipating blue mist in front of my face was. I groaned, transforming and flying into the air, following the direction where the pull took me.

I looked around the dark city, no ghosts in sight. I stared up at the sky, thankful it had stopped raining, and landed on the soft grass of the park, the pull taking me to the middle of it. I stopped and looked around, holding my hands up in front of the fountain I was standing near.

"Don't think a fucking fountain is the ghost, so what the heLL" I was suddenly knocked over onto the ground, something small but strong licking my face. I squealed, probably waking up half of the neighborhood around me, but I rolled over and got up quickly, staring at—

A puppy.

A green ghost puppy.

"What the fuck." I whispered, crouching down low and staring at the dog. It yapped and got into my face again, licking with a friendliness that had me giggling and taking the puppy into my arms. "What's your name little guy?" I asked, the puppy just cocking its head and panting.

"Aww, you're just a little lost thing aren't you?" I asked, getting even more tail wags as the puppy remained in my company.

"Dude can you shut the fuck up? People are trying to sleep!" Someone yelled at me from an apartment complex. It took all of my willpower _not_ to flip them off and continue to play with the dog, but I growled under my breath, picked up the puppy, and flew off to somewhere more remote.

The woods on the outskirts of town.

There was a little clearing in the middle where I took Sam once to get away from Tucker before we were dating. Tucker had been a little too much with the fact that he wanted us to date. I sighed at the memory, knowing how I had been with my feelings towards Sam a long time ago, happy things had turned out the way they had.

I set the puppy down in the grass and sat down next to him, scratching him behind the ears. I had never gotten a dog, the laboratory being too dangerous to have a puppy that would like to snoop around everywhere.

A loud snap in the woods made the puppy growl and immediately transform into a large, ten foot dog with huge canines and fiery eyes. I blinked up, my mouth open in surprise.

Out of the woods came a redhead teen with a camera draped lazily around his neck, and his nose stuck in a book of conspiracy theories.

' _Oh here we go.'_ I thought to myself. The boy looked up with surprise in his eyes as he noticed the growling, yelping and almost dropping his book, his eyes narrowing onto mine. "Fenton." He snapped.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, lazily placing my hands on my chin and resting my head there. "Wes." I replied.

Wes Weston had started making himself known halfway into senior year, actively watching me, finding the fact that I was no longer social inept weird. He, being very observant in everything I did, finally pieced together that 'Danny Phantom' had begun hunting ghosts around the same time I had gotten friends. Add on the fact that we look exactly the same, he had me figured out in no time at all.

He had spoken this theory aloud to people, very quickly becoming the town crazy person, because everyone could see that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were nothing alike, apart from their names.

I had never confirmed or denied anything in the presence of anyone else, though I did confirm it in front of Wes himself because I liked to mess with the little shit.

Ever since, he's hated me and everything I was.

"Can you call off your pet please? Some of us are trying to get stuff done."

"Wes it's four in the morning." I told him. He rolled his eyes. "It's the perfect time for UFO sightings."

I rolled my eyes, the puppy finally shrinking back down and crawling into my lap. "Aliens don't exist."

"Half ghosts don't exist either, however here you are."

I waved him off with my hand, getting up as he took a giant step back. "People won't believe you about either of those things, so why even bother hating me Wes?"

"Because I want to."

"Great answer. As much fun as it is talking to you, Weston, I need to get going. School tomorrow." I told him, grabbing the puppy and taking off towards Tucker's house.

"Fuck you Fenton!" I heard him call out as I left, and I chuckled to myself. Messing with him was too easy.

I placed the dog outside on the sidewalk. "Okay, boy, you need to go home."

He yipped in response and immediately disappeared from view. I smiled to myself, transforming and slipping into Tucker's room, grabbing my duvet and slipping back into sleep.

…

"Dude, we gotta go." Tucker's voice penetrated my sleep. I groaned, rolling over and placing my pillow over my head. A hard slap to my ass made me yelp and jump to see who had done it. Tucker was laughing while Sam smirked. I hadn't even known she was here.

"Okay, boxer briefs, you need to get dressed." Sam winked. I blushed, and kissed her cheek, grabbing clothes and shoving them on as Tucker and Sam talked amongst themselves.

"You are never this hard to wake up, dude? What gives?" Tucker asked as I pulled a shirt over my head, messing my hair up even more. "I was woken up at four in the morning by this adorable puppy ghost, and then had a conversation with Wes." I told them.

The both rolled their eyes and groaned, and I laughed at the action. Wes was a plague against our group, and it was easily noticeable.

I finished dressing and we head downstairs to start the trek to school, getting in my car and driving away. Various people stopped to glance at us, before shaking their heads and walking towards the entrance of the school, our trio becoming very popular in the sense of abnormal.

I'm pretty sure even me going missing in the middle of the night was starting to be a normal thing. Like they knew I'd show up eventually. I shook my head and laced my fingers with Sam's, heading into school and narrowly avoiding a football to the face, when I heard a screech behind me. I turned, and the discarded football lay ignored on the ground, Valerie Gray sitting on the floor clutching her face.

Kwan hurried over, almost knocking me over in an attempt to get to her more quickly. Dash shoved me down, like what the fuck, to get to her as well. "That Fenton kid made it so the ball would hit me in the eye. Paulina is never going to want to see me like this."

At this comment, Sam rolled her eyes. "A blessing in disguise." She muttered. Valerie's, now blackening, eyes latched themselves onto my girlfriend. "Why don't you go get your nose out of my business and got suck off your boyfriend, goth slut." Valerie spat. Sam growled under her breath, but I wrapped my arm around her waist and swiftly got her out of there, Tucker hot on my tail.

"Calm down." I whispered to her. "She's just a brainless A-list." Tucker reassured. Sam sighed. "But she isn't brainless. Valerie can think for herself, she is just too afraid to go against them. She could be a great person, but she throws it all away for…. _them_." Sam spat. I laughed.

"If she is too scared to go against them, then she can't really think for herself yet. Give her time. She'll come around eventually." I told her. Sam shrugged.

"Won't matter after we graduate." She sighed. She kissed my cheek and we all went separate ways for various classes, not able to meet up with each other until lunch. Valerie never left my mind, and my gut feeling for something bad going to happen was definitely in full swing.

….

The ghost dog came back halfway through my English class as I was doing some future assignments, having already done the current ones. I excused myself and went outside to get it to go away. I winked to Wes as I left the room, his face turning into one blood red color of rage. I snorted as I walked away.

I transformed in a janitors closet, flying out of the building and trying to latch on the dogs ecto-signature. I flew around, coming to a large house, where the dog was scratching at the door.

"Hey, pup? What are you doing?" I cooed in a small voice as he yipped in my direction, before continuing to dig at whatever he wanted.

He growled once, and took off into the air, leaving me barely any time to get out of the way. "Oh god." I said, flying after him quickly, trying to grab a hold on anything that would get him to slow down, especially since he was heading towards Axion Labs.

"No, no. Bad dog." I yelled. He growled again, phasing out of sight, before coming back into view behind me, just to grab my foot in his mouth and drag me with him. I yelped as we phased through all of the doors, and through all of the alarms and blasts of energy.

"Mr. Gray what is the meaning of this!" A voice yelled frantically, and I immediately started kicking at the dogs slobbering maw to get me out of his hold. He growled at me, growing at least another five feet before dropping me and banging on one of the security gates with his paws.

"That should hold, sir! I designed it to withstand more than just a dog!" Another voice called out from the other side of the gate.

"It better or this will be the last job you have with Axion."

I cursed myself and grabbed the dog by the collar and started tugging him away, not wanting to get any one fired today. The dog froze, before clamping down on my arm and throwing me through the gate, sending me right through it and at the mans feet.

Valerie Gray's father, Damon Gray was standing above me with shock and anger plain in his features. He went to dive at me, but I was pulled away but the mutt and flown out of Axion right into the school, landing at Tucker's feet.

"So…how'd that go?" He asked as I lost the pull of the Dogs, who I am now calling Cujo because of his fucking disastrous tendencies, ectosignature. I sighed. "I think I just got Valerie's dad fired." I said quietly immediately regretting most of the day, and not throwing the dog back into the ghost zone.

…

Two days later, Valerie Gray had been abandoned by the A-list because her father lost his job. She had to sell most of her things to help pay for the moving van and for the apartment in Elmerton. Damon had ended up having to pay for the damages to the facilty, thus resulting in the loss of the house and most of their belongings.

It didn't help that I damaged the rest of their things by chasing Cujo into their moving truck, which they also had to pay for…. Let's just say I was not Valerie Gray's hero anymore. I was the person who destroyed her life and her social status.

She had started out subtle that day after he lost his jobs, a permanent scowl on her face, complaining to her friends about what had happened, and after a day or so of concern she was kicked out of the friend group, tending to sit alone at lunch. Sam had grabbed my hand when Valerie walked past, because I had had the sudden urge to get up and apologize, for something that wasn't (to her knowledge) my fault.

Something in Valerie shifted about a week after the incident, I still hadn't found that fucking puppy and I had been studying under a tree alone in the quad while Sam and Tucker did research in the library.

"Hey, Fenton!" She called up to me, making me peer over where my glasses rested at the bridge of my nose. "What's up, Val?" I called back, trying to hold in any sympathy that I could. She had punched the last person to apologize to her.

"I was just wondering….does your mom and dad sell their ghost hunting equipment?" She asked me, her eyes full of hope.

I put on a mask as she mentioned my parents. While my father and I had mended things a bit, my mother hadn't spoken a word to me since she left for Germany, due to come home any day now. "I don't think so, and especially not to common citizens." I told her, all friendliness in my voice replaced with that cool edge that came with talking about my parents.

Her face fell. "What if my family was being targeted?"

I bit my lip. "Still, it would be better to contact an official hunter if you had any problems with any ectoplasmic entities." I told her.

She sighed angrily. "Look, I've tried. No one will hunt the ghost." She said, crossing her arms from where she was standing.

I sighed, pushing my frames up on my face. "Look, if hunters won't hunt the ghost you are after, then odds are that its not that bad."

Her face turned red with rage as she took in the words. "Look, that fucking menace Phantom destroyed my father's place of employment and the belongings that we didn't have to sell. My _mothers_ furniture was destroyed, Fenton. Your parents are firm believers in everything ectoplasmic is wrong and I don't understand why you believe they won't help me or at least give me means to defend myself. My dad and I live in Elmerton as of right now and I need to make sure I'm protected so the next time Phantom attacks me again, I'll be ready."

"Val-"

"And one more thing. That ghost is anything but good. Ghosts exist to destroy. Ghosts shouldn't exist and anyone sympathetic should be tested for insanity."

I had had enough, and I slammed my book, and got up, rising to my full height, making Valerie take a step back, and the other students and teachers that had been vaguely listening look to me in surprise.

"Look, Gray. Don't even try to tell me what you think on ghosts, because odds are I've already heard the same shit come out of my parents mouths. I lived with them, obviously I know that they aren't going to sell you firearms, because they are firearms and can hurt human beings as well, especially since you aren't trained. Also, my mother and father are bigoted and I have come to realize are mostly wrong in many of their believes on the afterlives and spirits themselves."

Valerie was paled considerably and I found myself thinking back to when they had experimented on me and what I had felt.

"Honestly, I lived with them enough to know that their practices aren't well founded, and are borderline torture." My voice cracked at the end, making people glance at me in surprise. I cleared my throat. "Don't talk to me about my family, or ghost hunting, ever again, because I promise, I won't be so kind next time." I told her, turning on my heel and leaving her behind, surprising the whole school as I just left.

I walked home to give my father the news when I noticed the taxi pull up on the side of the road. My dad walked out of the house, not noticing me standing on the curb. "I'll be back, honey. The tour will probably only last a couple weeks maximum." He called to the house. My mother stepped out on the porch, calm and collected in her blue jumpsuit as he got in the cab and spend away.

She then turned to me.

"Hello Daniel."

…


	21. The Proposition

_Danny's POV_

"Mom…." I whispered to myself. She was wearing a teal blouse, black dress pants, and black heels that clicked ominously towards me as she walked.

"You've been very busy, Daniel. In my absence, you have made sure to ruin the Fenton family name." She snapped.

I couldn't help myself, so I rolled my eyes. "I've been helping people, mother." I told her. She sighed. "By committing theft? I'm surprised that the Guys in White never took you in again." She told me.

"Dad talked to them, and even they could see I was being controlled. How can't you?"

"They tell me many things about you, Daniel. I've been kept updated." She told me, standing right next to me. How can I tower over someone, and still feel so small?

"I didn't ask to be controlled, Mom. I'm the one who ended up _beating_ Freak show!" I said, trying to prove myself to her.

After everything she had done to me, she was still my mother, and seeing her feel like I was the villain hurt quite a bit. She shook her head. "And liberated ghosts of all sorts, who knows what you've unleashed to the town!" She growled out.

"They all promised to move on to other things, Mom! And would only come back if they needed something from me!"

"Daniel, don't you understand that by challenging every ghost that comes through that portal, you make them spread the word about you. You believe to be protecting the town but what would happen if you quit your heroics? The town would finally be safe."

I went to shake my head, to demand her to realize I was doing the right thing, to make her see that she was wrong, but I stopped. I thought about what she was saying from a scientist's point of view. I knew better than anyone that gossip in the Ghost Zone travels fast…who's to say that she isn't right?

"So that's why I'm offering a proposition." She started. I looked down at her, her face determined and strong, waiting for me to give her the go ahead.

"What proposition?" I asked.

"…You have around three months of school left, correct? Come home. Let me monitor your growth. You can continue this hero job of yours until I say so, and then you are done. We continue tests, and when your father comes home, you will make sure to tell him that you are a consenting test subject.

However, you can tell no one of this plan. Not your friends, and certainly not your girlfriend. You will be monitored through microphone every day at school, and will come home when you used to, at 12 p.m. Any later will result in punishment." She finished.

"And what makes you think I'll agree to this plan?" I asked.

She smiled, an evil looks in her eye. "Because if you don't, the identity of Miss Nightshade will be shared with the public _and_ Sam and Tucker will be put in prison for harboring a ghost fugitive."

I grimaced. "So, you are blackmailing me? If I say no, you take it out on everything I love." I said. She nodded.

"Say yes to keep Samantha safe. Say no to give her a life sentence. You. Choose."

I sighed, looking to the hand that was outstretched in front of me. Sam would kill me for saying yes, but would die in a cell if I said no. So, I grabbed her hand and shook. "Okay. Sam and Tucker won't be at school for very long, so I'll go grab my stuff and be back here in twenty minutes."

"Excellent. I look forward to working with you, Daniel." She smiled, and her heels clicked away, leaving me to really think about what I had done.

I took a deep breath. It was for the best. Sam and Tucker were everything to me. To lose them would be to never feel like myself again.

I flew quickly to the school to grab my car I had left, then drove to Tucker's house, grabbing all of my things and phasing them into my car, hoping that they hadn't come home from school early to try and find me. When I was done, I phased into my car and drove back to my house.

Mom was waiting for me. "I have prepared a small room in the laboratory for you, if you could kindly put your things in there."

"One of the storage rooms?"

"All cleared out and a bed has been placed in." 

I nodded, gulping at the thought of spending most of my time in the lab. I swallowed down the thoughts and finished putting all of my stuff into my room in the basement.

"Alright, how about we get a blood sample, for now?" She said, clasping her hands at her chest in excitement.

"It's not like I even have a choice." I grumbled, sitting down at an examination table as she cleaned the skin and shoved the needle into a vein.

I could even bring myself to wince.

I would get used to torture eventually. I had the first time.

…

 _Sam's POV_

We weren't allowed to leave school to go after Danny, so the rest of the school day was filled with nervousness. I had texted him multiple times to check in, all of them had been ignored, or he hadn't seen them.

I really hoped he just hadn't seen them. Valerie had looked guilty the rest of the day, for making Danny snap like that, and seemed to be calming down about Phantom. She had been oddly staring at her backpack all day, making Tucker and I glance at each other.

At the end of the school day, Valerie was nowhere to be seen, and Tucker and I were sprinting to his house to check on Danny.

We walked through the door, waving hello to Mrs. Foley before heading up the stairs. Whatever Tucker saw when he opened the door made him scared enough to freeze, so I pushed him gently to the side to look as well.

"Everything's…" Tucker began.

"Gone. His stuff isn't here." I finished. It was done hastily, a few shirts sitting on the floor, but everything was gone. It was like he had never lived here.

"What happened? What did I do?" Tucker whispered. I sighed. "You couldn't have done anything wrong… He was fine until Valerie, remember?"

"But what did he see that made him move out, from then to now?" Tucker asked, shaking slightly. I knew that losing his live in best friend would be hard him, so we would have to do everything to get Danny back.

"Let's go check his house?" I asked Tucker. "Maybe we can talk some sense into him." I told him. He smiled and nodded, heading out and telling his mother where we were going.

The walk to his house was quick, seeing an unfamiliar car in front of Danny's parked in the driveway, but at least he was here. We breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to the front door, knocking loud enough that Jack would be able to hear if he was in the lab.

But who opened the door left us gaping and terrified.

Danny's mom, a dark red stain on her teal jumpsuit, hood pulled up to cover her eyes and a fake smile on her face. "Can I help you both?"

"Can we talk to Danny, please? It's kind of urgent?" I asked. She shrugged. "I suppose." She told us, ushering us in, and calling down the stairs, making both of us freeze.

Why in the hell would he be in the lab with his mother around?

He came up the stairs, pale and clammy, with a fake smile plastered on his face. "Hey guys!" He said, cheery. To cheery to look the way he does right now.

"What happened to all of your stuff, man?"

His eyes flitted to the left, a sure sign he was about to tell a lie, and opened his mouth. "Oh, I thought that I could need some space." He said, and I narrowed my eyes. "I'll leave you kids alone." Maddie said from her spot near the wall, taking off into the Lab.

"Okay, what did she do to you?"

"Nothing. She hasn't done a thing to me." He said, his voice to unemotional. "Bullshit, I know she has. What. Did. She. Do. To. You?" Tucker continued.

Danny looked to the lab door, but jumped slightly. I could hear a slight mumbling, but couldn't pinpoint the location.

"She hasn't done anything, but I needed some space from you guys." Danny said, but it sounded as if he was reading it off of a sheet of paper.

"Why? What did _we_ do?" I demanded. Danny didn't speak for a minute before he said defeated, and slouched his shoulders like he was in trouble.

"You guys brought me down. I was a genius before I met you guys and I could have reached my full potential by now if I had never met you." He said, his eyes watering.

Tucker and I were too shocked to speak, the mumbling returned and Danny didn't speak until it stopped. "And, we shouldn't hang out anymore. I need to be my own person and figure out what I can do with you."

Hearing these words come out of Danny hurt, and it hurt a lot. "So, you are just going to throw away us, for your mother?" Tucker said quietly.

"After everything she has done?" I continued.

Danny stopped again, seeming to be listening to something and then he sighed. "She hasn't done anything to me. Everything she did in the past was for my benefit, and I am grateful that she has decided to bring me in again."

Bingo. There it was.

Something Danny would never say.

Tucker and I looked at each other before he got out his PDA and started typing in his notes. "Well, we don't agree with this decision." I said, Tucker giving him the PDA.

The note had read: _What's really going on D?_

Danny started to type as he recited, "You may not agree, but it's the best decision that could be made at this point."

I looked over Tucker's shoulder to read his reply.

 _Mom has me tapped into a microphone and has a listening piece in my ear. Yes, I am here against my will, but I don't want you guys to stop what's happening. Consequences would be worse than what I'm already getting._

I brought a hand to my mouth. Danny sat up sharply, his eyes watering as he began to shake. "And Sam," He began, and immediately I knew where this was going, "It would be best if we broke up. I don't want to be with you anymore." He said, his voice shaky.

Knowing it was just Maddie trying to get me to finally leave him alone, I nodded. "If that's how you feel…. have a good life, Fenton." I stood up, Tucker with me and I handed him the PDA again.

 _We'll find a way, Danny._

He looked as if he wanted to cry when he handed the PDA back us, and we left without another word.

"Okay, I hated that. I hated that a lot." I told Tucker. He nodded, agreeing. "Why does this bitch just come back to fuck up his life some more?" Tucker groaned.

I shrugged, mostly to myself, when I pressed my palms into my eyes to try to not cry. "Tucker, I can't watch him become what he used to be." I said, my voice cracking.

"Sam, we'll get him back. We always find a way."

I just hoped that Tucker was right…

 _Boom! Shorter chapter today, but I wanted to get the proposition out there before moving on to everything that's about to happen!_

 _Thanks!_


	22. In the Darkness

_I started this account when I was either ten or eleven, and it's so surreal to be eighteen and about to start college (next week actually god damn)_

 _To those still in HS: APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS! THERE ARE STUPID FUCKING RANDOM EXPENSES THAT THEY CAN COVER AND I WAS A LITTLE SHIT AND ONLY APPLIED FOR ONE AND DIDN'T GET IT_

 _SO HERE I AM_

 _PAYING FOR ALL OF MY COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS AND COLLEGE AND ITS SO FUCKING STUPID_

 _SO, CHILDREN_

 _MAKE FUCKING SURE TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS_

 _EVERY. SINGLE. ONE._

…

 _Danny's POV_

I was getting ready for school when my mom came through the door, causing me to jump as I pulled on my t-shirt. She chuckled and held up a black wire.

"Microphone?" I asked.

She nodded. "I need to tap you to make sure you won't talk about anything with anyone." I scoffed.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on talking to anyone anymore. If you are threatening people that I love, I don't want to bring anyone else down this path." I spat. She rolled her eyes, pinning the microphone in place and stepping back.

She then held up a small white wristlet, that seemed to glow a pale bluish green. She strapped that onto my wrist as well. "This completely annuls your powers. I have decided it would be a good experiment to see how ghosts react to your total disappearance." Mom told me. I nodded, not feeling any emotion but defeat.

This was my life now and I'd have to live with it. "Just go to school like you used to, Danny. Back when you were a good little test subject." She said, patting my shoulder and leaving the room.

I had to bite back the tears that I could feel behind my eyes. I took a deep breath and grabbed my backpack, heading up the stairs and skipping breakfast. Mom was sitting on the couch, typing on her laptop, and spared me a passing glance as I walked out the door.

The drive was quick, being as I didn't have anyone to pick up anymore. My glasses felt like a mask today.

The mask I would have to wear so that everyone would think that I was fine. That I wasn't drowning. The microphone weighed my chest down as I tried to breathe normally, my mother no doubt monitoring my vitals as well.

I was sinking into an ocean of dark thoughts and no returns, and I could only hope that I could somehow survive.

I pulled into the parking lot, people looking to me. I remembered the scene that I made the day before and blushed, feeling all of a sudden shy. I realized then, that Sam and Tucker had let me be myself, therefore beating my social anxiety.

Without them, the stutter would return and I would be back to the shadows of the school. I passed by everyone without a glance, feeling the eyes on the back of my head.

I wondered if anyone knew that my mother was back, and that I was forced back into my home, but then I realized that these thoughts were silly and would amount to nothing. I had to get used to the fact that no one would be able to save me.

I walked into Mr. Lancer's room, sitting down for roll call, and immediately raising my hand when he was about to start the lesson. It was then that Sam and Tucker came in. 

"Can I go to the library, sir?" I asked. Lancer furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Sam and Tucker took their seats. "Of course, Daniel." He nodded, his concern growing as I quietly packed my things and disappeared from the classroom.

" _Good boy, Daniel._ " I heard in my ear, and the burning behind my eyes were back.

I couldn't stop the one tear that escaped as I pushed open the door to the bathroom and sat down, trying to quiet myself as I curled up on the ground by the door, knees to my chest, and shoved my fingers into my hair.

I pulled on the black strands, feeling like nothing without the cold that I had grown used to right next to my heart. I felt like I was missing apart of who I was. More tears came and I growled to myself.

" _Get a hold of yourself, Daniel._ " Her voice said again.

"I'm trying." I whispered.

" _Not hard enough. I will have to do electro-punishments if anyone suspects-"_

Her voice was cut off by the door opening, and Wes Weston staring down at me. "Fenton?" He said, concerned.

It was a weird look on the stupid kid.

I laughed humorlessly. "Come to laugh at me, Weston?" I asked, hearing my mom finally stop talking and instead listen to the encounter.

"No…. Everyone is worried about you, Fenton. After the outburst, yesterday at Valerie…. We are all wondering-"

"W-w-w-whatever you are w-w-w-wondering…. stop. I can take care of myself and I don't need a-a-anyone to try and h-h-help me. I-I-I don't need help." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Your stutter is back, Fenton. If that's not a cry for help, I don't know what is."

" _Get to the library, Daniel. When you get home, there will be punishments in place._ " My mom's cold, unforgiving voice cut out, leaving nothing but static, before nothing. She had shut off the line.

I had fucked up big time.

More tears flowed down my face as Weston took a step back.

"Fenton…is it a ghost? Why are you acting like you did a year ago?"

"Because, Weston. I deserve this." I said, closing my eyes and resting the back of my head on the wall behind me.

"No one deserves to cry alone in the bathroom, not even you….and you shouldn't even exist." Weston joked lightly.

"Look, Wes. I'm sorry for any emotional or mental trauma that I could've c-c-caused you…but I'm completely fine. What's happening to me… You can't stop it. No one can. I've learned to deal with what's b-b-been given to me."

Wes seemed to pause and think about this. "I'll figure it out, Fenton. I've always been good at figuring you out."

I stopped just as I pushed open the door, and I turned to look at him. "Well let's hope I'm still alive for you to rub it in my face." I told him, and then left him in the bathroom.

…

 _Wes's POV_

I've always been good at figuring out anything that comes to supernatural, or weirdness. From Gravity Falls (I swear to god, there was some sort of apocalypse there…. I just need to prove it) or Mr. Crocker's theory on Fairies (complete and utter-bullshit).

Danny Fenton used to be some case that I had to figure out.

But looking at him, crying on the bathroom floor before telling me that he could be dead before I figured out what was going on…. I felt cold. I felt like I couldn't do anything to stop it.

So, I went up to Sam and Tucker, who seemed to be as lost as Danny today, and asked them.

"Fenton was crying in the bathroom. I had a short conversation-"

"Save it, Wes. We are already working on something to help him." Sam cut me off. I narrowed my eyes.

"Manson, you could use all the help you can get if he thinks he's-"

"Weston, just leave us alone. We aren't looking for help, and you know little about this situation. You know nothing about us, or Danny. Get. Lost." Tucker snapped, and I closed my mouth.

"Danny will be fine. We just need time to figure out how to get him out, and he'll be good as new. Thanks, but no thanks for the concern. Bye, Weston." Manson finished, and both of them walked away.

Danny hadn't told them he thought was going to die.

I sighed, and rolled my eyes, realizing that I'd have to do everything myself.

Who fucking knew I'd be saving Danny Phantom.

…

 _Danny's POV_

I had gotten home five minutes late due to traffic. My mother stood at the front door, waiting on me. "Traffic." I said quietly. She nodded in response, motioning for me to follow her.

I sighed and followed, being led quickly down the basement stairs into the lab, where the examination table was lit up.

"This is Electro-punishment. Courtesy of the convention in Germany. This will send shockwaves down to your very ectoplasm."

I glanced around the walls and to the lab window where Sam had discovered me the first time. Mom saw me do that. "And don't worry, I soundproofed the lab while you were gone and also blacked out that upper window. No one will hear you." She said, with what sounded like reassurance.

I just barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes, and nodded, sitting down on the table where she would be…punishing me.

She looked me up and down, and grabbed needles hooked to wires. "I have to connect these to a couple veins and we are good to go."

The sad part was that she sounded excited to be hooking me up to this machine that will electrocute me until I'm almost dead.

She hooked the wires into my veins, not even flinching when I winced in pain. "This is only the beginning." She said when she was done, and that made me look into her eyes. She looked evil. I feared for my life as she grabbed the dial and shifted it forward.

It had started as a minor sting, but got worse, until I was arched off the table, screaming so loud I thought my mom's ears were going to bleed. She had the dial cranked up all the way, and then left the room, her hands covering her ears.

It had felt like years. Like I had died a million deaths and had been resurrected each time. I felt as if my entire body had been split in half, and began begging for it to stop. The needles were wedged deep into my skin, and no amount of moving would get them out, so I was left until my mom decided to come back.

She came back eventually, finally turning down the dial and removing the needles. Though I was free from the pain, aftershocks jerked through my body every so often, making me twitch in my seat as my mother examined me. "Hmm, a mild side effect. Hopefully it goes away, or we may have an issue." She tsked. I sighed, too tired to even care, when she released me and allowed me to enter my bedroom.

"No dinner tonight, may be too hard on the healing process." She told me, and left me in the lab. I heard the lock slide into place as I entered my room. I had a lock in there, fortunately, so I locked my door behind me and got onto my computer to write some papers, and decided to document the experience on a Word document.

I described in full detail the extent of the experiment, and that it hadn't been intended to accomplish something. I told of the pain and the side effect. I hoped that Tucker would hack into our network and find the file, but until he did I would write down everything that happened to me, and I wouldn't leave out a single detail.

After all, my mother only kept track of my computer history.

…

Waking up for school the next day was absolute agony. My nerves felt like they were only fire and every movement felt as if it were going to be my last.

Not to mention you could see the veins were the needles had been wedged into. My mother had looked at them with a worried expression, but shrugged it off. "They won't suspect me, anyway." She told me, sending me off with a nod.

I limped the whole way to school (my mom had wanted me to walk so I could feel the pain even more) and could feel my eyes watering. I could feel the texture of my clothes against my skin, and the too-smooth-feeling of the microphone wire snaked down my shirt.

Every shift of my backpack on my back made me want to collapse, and I didn't even notice when I finally came into school.

By the stares I was getting, from Tucker and Sam in particular, it was clear that I looked like shit. Worried glances from passing teachers and confused glances from various classmates had me rushing to first period so I could get marked off and be on my way to the library. Weston had given me the old up and down, nodding to himself as he had walked away.

Mom's static wasn't in my ears, so the microphone was turned off for now. She knew I wouldn't be able to say anything, I was almost in my seat for class when the first aftershock hit. My body seized and I groaned in pain as I hit the ground, Mr. Lancer coming to my aid immediately.

"Daniel, are you alright?"

I felt the sudden urge to vomit. "I'm fine." I told him, standing up painfully. He looked at my arms and my temple, searching for something.

"You don't look fine, Fenton." Dash spoke up. The class was staring at me, Tucker and Sam especially.

"Well, I am." I told them, feeling fight or flight starting to kick in. "Look if you are scared, or anything you can talk to me, or a counselor."

The static kicked in my ears. I could feel fear close my throat and a burning behind my eyelids. "I'm fine, Mr. Lancer." I squeaked out.

Valerie scoffed. "Fenton, you look like you had a seizure."

More words of concern floated throughout the classroom. "C-c-can you please m-m-mind your own god-d-damn bu-buisness and leave me alone?!" I demanded, grabbing my abandoned backpack and leaving the room, leaving the class baffled at my strong choice of language.

One question hit my mind as the static in my ears clicked off.

Would I even be alive to save by the time someone figure out how to save me?

…

 _Okay, recap._

 _Scholarships._

 _Don't take 7_

 _Do your homework_

 _Stay in school_


	23. There Is Light

_Wes's POV_

The class seemed to freeze as Fenton ran out of the classroom in a blur, after seeming to have a seizure and collapse to the ground. Tucker and Sam seemed defeated, unable to run after him for fear of him blowing up on them, too.

"Tucker, Sam….do you know what's going on?" Mr. Lancer asked the duo. They shook their heads. "Danny started separating himself a little while ago, and recently stopped talking to us and broke up with Sam." Tucker said, Sam choosing to stay silent.

I paused my thoughts and thought over what was just said. "Do you know when it started happening?" Lancer asked.

Valerie pipped up. "Just after his argument with me about his family…he got mad when I talked about his parents, and said that he didn't agree with their practice or their beliefs…and then he went home. The next day he was jumpy and not talking to anyone."

Lancer paused with a sigh, taking his reading classes off and laying them aside. "Are you sure?" He asked.

Valerie nodded, and I took in this. "Okay, we need to get back to the lesson." Lancer decided. "The school will investigate Daniel further. For now, make sure to lend him any help you can as he may be going through a difficult time." Lancer said, and turned back to the board.

"Mr. Lancer, may I be excused?" I asked, hand raised sharply in the air. He nodded, giving me a look. I gathered my things, shoving them hastily in my backpack and rushing out the door, hoping to hear or catch sight of Fenton.

I started in the bathroom, finding no one and nothing in sight. I moved on into the library, Mrs. Chap happily humming away, but no sign of Fenton. I groaned, running a hand through my hair, ready to give up and get back to class, when I heard a crash coming from the janitor's closet, followed by a stifled sob.

I entered cautiously, ready to be attacked, but all I found was Danny on the floor, knees drawn to chest, shaking. I could tell he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, and didn't even know I was there, because he was talking.

"They suspect nothing, I swear." He whispered. I shut the door quietly, hiding behind the shelving next to Danny.

There was a faint whisper, that seemed to be words, that I could barely catch. I grabbed my phone, making sure it was silent, taking a video of the scene.

"I haven't done anything to deserve this." He replied to the mumbling, his voice vaguely hysterical. 

I wished I had something to hear what was going on in whatever he was listening to, but the mumbling that followed his sentence sounded like "you exist. Get home."

Meaning, one of Danny's parents were doing this.

"I don't want to be electrocuted anymore. I don't want to live in the lab. I just want my life back." Danny sobbed.

I could tell the conversation was coming to an end, and honestly, I had heard enough. I exited the closet quickly, hearing Danny get up as well, hiding behind a row of lockers as Danny past, moving quickly, but not fast enough for me to be able to not follow him.

I knew where his house was, so I knew where he was heading, and I quickly made my way to FentonWorks, a place that I used to admire. A place where I thought put science and mystery first.

But I don't think that was their primary objective anymore. Not if Danny's parents were torturing him for something he couldn't control.

I made my way down the streets, knowing I was getting dirty looks for cutting class. I arrived at FentonWorks, Fenton's car already parked in the driveway. The curtains were drawn and the lights out, giving it a creepy aura. I made my way to one of the basement windows, seeing that it had been blacked out and soundproofing foam hastily applied to the edges.

I got out my backpack, opening my front pocket and grabbing my pencil bag. Inside was a small pocket knife I kept because I usually ended up walking home around ten pm, and I had a note from my father saying such. Also in my backpack were a pair of rubber gloves for biology, making certain I wouldn't leave behind any fingerprints

I placed the blade against the soundproofing, cutting it away to reveal the edges of the window, unlocked and allowing me to push against it and open the window.

Immediately there was yelling and screaming, and most of all crying. My phone was next to me already recording audio. I was almost instantly horrified when I heard a sickening crack and all noises stopped, except for a woman's voice.

"If he fucks up again, Agent B, I can't promise I won't kill him." She said.

A surprised scoff wafted up from the lab. "You wouldn't kill your own son, Madeline."

"I don't view him as my son anymore. I view him as a monster. Make sure he isn't dead."

The woman's voice faded away as heels seemed to click up a set of stairs, before a door shut and the man was left alone with Danny.

"Still breathing, and healing at the rate of a normal human. I don't know how she expects to experiment on him if she doesn't allow him to heal." Agent B said.

"This is definitely not what Agent A told her to do. He told her to monitor the boy for any effects that could be a detriment to his health, sir." Another voice said.

"His own mother is the detriment to his health. Unfortunately, initiate, we are unable to anything." There was a dragging sound, as if they were dragging Danny's body.

"She 'owns' him, so she says." The initiate said. "We can write a bad report, report her to the authorities?"

"I wish we could, but that would mean giving up Daniel to the actual military government, thus giving his life away to people who would use him for misguided actions."

There was a sigh, and a door opening. "He is just a teenager." The initiate said, so soft I could barely catch it. "Even a half ghost is still human enough to not deserve this."

I had heard enough, waiting for the footsteps to retreat, before getting up to get some supplies. Tonight, I'd give Danny some medical attention and food before showing all of my evidence to anyone who would listen.

And I hoped they would listen to me.

…

 _Danny's POV_

I was gently shaken away by callused hands, my head pounding. I remember being shoved into the sharp corner of the lab table after my collarbone and many of my ribs had been broken by a viscous beating.

I peeled my eyes open, feeling stick blood on the side of my head, to reveal Wes Weston standing in the darkness of my room. I was too in pain to show my surprise, but in his hands, was a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread, and his backpack was strung on his shoulders.

"You shouldn't be here." I gasped, the pain in my chest making it difficult to breathe. "She could kill you too." I whispered.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm human. She'd have my life blackmailed, but she seems to give humans a pass." He placed the food on the bedside table, helping me sit up while prodding at my chest and feeling the various broken bones.

I groaned at the feeling, before allowing him to dig in his backpack for medical wrap and various gauze. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"How did you get in here?"

He smiled. "I'm very used to getting into places I shouldn't go, so I grabbed my rope ladder, and climbed down from your basement window."

Memories of my mother telling me she had blacked out the window, while also soundproofing it hit my mind as I grabbed at the spoon he held out to me, before he cleaned my head wound.

"I had followed you home after eavesdropping on your conversation in the closet and cut away the soundproofing. I only heard you hit your head and hit the ground."

I carefully moved my leg, noting that my ankle was probably broken as well, and sighed. I carefully spooned the soup, bringing it to my lips. I noted that it's been awhile since I've been this hungry.

I tore into the bread as he treated my head and he pulled back and just stared at me. I glared at him with a mouthful of bread, demanding "what?"

He shrugged. "I'm finally realizing that you _are_ a hero, and _this_ is how you are rewarded for it."

I looked at him in shock, before finishing the soup and bread, giving him the containers. "I'll tell my mother the Agent and the other one patched me up. I'll see you tomorrow." I told him.

He scoffed. "I'll be in your car at 7:30 to drive you and help you into school." He told me, packing up his things and getting up. "I'm going to help you, Danny."

I paused as he started to walk out. "Be careful." I told him. He looked at me in surprise, before nodding. "Always am."

I felt tiredness against my eyes again, and I allowed them to close and drifted off into a sleep, so exhausted that I didn't even dream.

…

I woke up the next morning in even more pain then the night before. I coughed painfully and limped through putting on my clothes and not bothering to even grab my backpack.

My mother was waiting upstairs. "Be good." Was all she told me. I nodded, painfully limping my way to the car.

True to Wes's word, he was in the driver side, fiddling with his phone. He saw me, gave me the old up and down, before wincing. I got in my car, sitting down with a pained sigh before nodding to him.

"Let's go." I wheezed. He looked as if he wanted to argue, but started my car and left. "My mom forgot to put on the microphone today." I told him.

He nodded. "Then you can talk to Sam and Tucker today."

"I know I'm talking to Sam today." I admitted. He gave me a look, and rolled his eyes. "Don't get too crazy." He told me.

I let out a surprised laugh, not knowing how to react. He cracked a smile before pulling into the parking lot, immediately, students eyes were on me. "I'll help you, don't worry." He said, getting out of the car with his backpack and helping me out of the car as well. Shocked faces alerted me that I probably looked about as bad as I felt, maybe even worse, as I limped with Wes to first period.

He deposited me into my chair, Lancer looking at me in shock, before I held up my hand. "I'm really not ready to talk about it, Mr. Lancer."

Just as I said that, a sudden jolt went through my body, making me cry out in pain, and have half the class jump to come to my aid.

"Mr. Fenton, you should be in the hospital, or at least at home." Mr. Lancer said. I looked up with wide eyes. "I'm going to have to call your parents." He finished, making me almost teleport to his side and crush the phone in his hand.

"No, don't." I said, acting out of complete fear. "You can't call my mother, she'll kill me. She'll actually kill me, I can't go back there not now." I started talking, and I couldn't stop, and I knew that I was actually having a panic attack.

Sam was the one who came to my aid with tears in her eyes and helped me out of the classroom, leaving Wes to explain the situation.

Sam placed her hands on my face and brought my lips to hers, stopping my attack in its tracks. "I love you." She said, resting her forehead on mine as I clung to her like a life preserver.

"It's horrible there." I told her, and she nodded. "Even the Guys in White think it's ridiculous the way she treats me."

She looked surprised, and sighed. "Wes tried to tell us you were in actual danger, but I guess I didn't want to believe it. He saved you."

I nodded. "Wes fucking Weston saved me." I laughed. "He snuck into the lab last night, brought me food, and tended to my wounds.

She nodded. "You still have gauze on your head." She said, carefully touching the white padding over my temple.

"I'm lucky to be alive." I told her.

"Why are you telling everyone today? Why now?" She asked me. We paused as we heard muffled outrage coming from the classroom.

"My mother forgot to put the microphone on me. She assumed I'd keep quiet like I used to. Not anymore." I told her, grabbing her head and bringing her lips back to mine. We kissed for what seemed like hours, before we were interrupted by the door opening, and Mr. Lancer came out.

"Daniel, Mr. Weston gave us the explanation of your mother abusing you, but hasn't told us why. I know that most abuse cases don't have a why, I suspect there is more to this from how quickly you moved when your instincts were triggered, and your physical strength."

I nodded. "There is more to it, and this has been going on for a while, Mr. Lancer. Since freshman year. It used to be, a little better than this, I have to admit. I'm not ready to explain in full detail what's wrong to the full class, but I think I could let you in on our secret." I said, stepping away from Sam for a minute.

"When I was fourteen I was helping my parents out finishing the Fenton Ghost Portal. It was supposed to make a bridge between the world of the undead and ours. I'm the most adept at sciences, and actually most things except for Psychology, so they brought me on for the engineering aspect. I had saw the flaw of the portal, they had rewired the on and off switch to the inside of the portal.

I went inside to fix the mistake and it turned on with me inside. I gained ghost powers, and for the next two years I was my parents personal lab rat, but at least they still considered me their son. I rebelled when I started talking to Sam and Tucker when I realized they didn't think I was a freak."

Lancer looked at me in sympathy. I took a deep breath. "I'd transform, but….the class is watching." I told him.

He nodded. "I understand, Mr. Fenton."

Weston came out the door in that moment, a wide smile on his face. "I have a plan."

…

 _Alrighty, the torture isn't over yet, but its starting to end._

 _Maddie will get whats coming to her_

 _/but one things for sure, baby I got mine but you'll all get yours/_

 _actually loving the new taylor swift lmao_


	24. Baby I Got Mine

_Danny's POV_

"So basically, you want to send my mother's abuse stories to the head of the Guys in White?" I asked, Wes nodding his head violently.

"I heard the agents say that they hadn't approved, or Agent A hadn't approved, of what your mom does to you, because you still have humanity." Wes explained.

I sighed. "I don't think it'd work. I'm still less human than my mom." I told him, shaking my head.

"We could at least try." Sam said, nodding to Wes in approval. The only ones hearing this plan were myself, Sam, Tucker, Wes, and Mr. Lancer, Lancer having dismissed the class to talk to me.

A feeling of dread went through my body as I realized my mother couldn't know this was going on, or she would turn in Sam and Tucker for harboring a ghost.

"This is going to take time to set up, you realize that?" I asked. They all nodded. "Which means, I have to remain with my mom, or she'll go to them first and turn in Sam and Tucker for harboring a ghost fugitive." I told them. "That's why I even agreed to stay with her in the first place."

Sam and Tucker paled, Mr. Lancer bristling. "You don't deserve to stay there. Who knows how much evidence we would have to pull up to even have a chance at a meeting." Lancer said.

"Lancer, I don't have a choice." I told him. He sighed, but nodded his head. "I wish that there was another way." He said, shaking his head.

"Just know that if I'm not in school for a day, send one of them to the basement window to make sure I'm alive…" I trailed off at the knock at the door, a shade of teal on the other side giving me dread.

"Hello, Mr. Lancer. Daniel. What's going on in here? I heard you were hurt?" My mother said, walking through the door with confident strides, standing at the edge of our circle.

I had paled considerably, and nodded. "Y-y-yeah, b-but, I-I'm f-fine. They-y we-were just m-m-making sure that I-I w-w-wa-was alright." I said.

She nodded. "We should probably take a look at your injuries and make sure it's nothing severe." She said, a cold look in her eyes. The remaining people in the room looked at each other in thinly veiled disgust.

"I drove here…" I said.

She nodded, looking to Sam. "I know that asking you a favor would be too much, being as you and Daniel terminated your relationship—" Sam and I winced. "—But could you be a dear and bring his car home? I would appreciate it."

"No problem, Mrs. Fenton." Sam all but growled, my mother unfazed. "Mr. Lancer, thank you for looking after my son, I'm just going to go ahead and take him home, if that's alright with you." She said.

Mr. Lancer looked like he wanted to protest, to do anything from letting me go home with this monster, but he sighed in defeat and said, "Of course not, Mrs. Fenton. Take care."

The people in the classroom all watched as my mom and I left, me with a slight limp and trouble breathing, and my mother with all of the care in the world.

"I don't know why I let you come to school today, that was idiotic of me." She said. "You've missed days before with no issue." She continued/

I said nothing, but listened to her complaints. "I got a call today from the Guys in White." She told me. My ears perked up. "Oh?" I asked, continuing the conversation.

She nodded with a confirming noise. "They have decided that the way I've been treating you is unethical for a mother to be treating you."

A feeling of joy washed over me as I realized that the plan may not need to happen at all, getting in the car with more ease than I have in years. She could see the smile plain on my face, her calculating gaze taking in everything I was feeling.

"…They have decided to once again take you into custody, however this time you will be fully aware of everything that goes on with you, and everything that they do to you." She said. "I. of course, will cover for you with the school, saying you needed rehabilitation or something of that nature…perhaps even a science program of some sort. They'll forget about you, and you'll get the treatment you need."

And instantly my mood was crushed. I felt like I couldn't breathe, already knowing how the Guys in White treat their captives. "But…we've done this before…they couldn't cure me they just tested on me because I was stronger…"

My mom smiled. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Your father will come to understand with time."

We pulled into the driveway, the white van already in place for taking to my death. I started scratching at my wrist where the power cancelling bracelet sat. I was thinner, so it was looser, and if I could pull it off.

"I'll go gather your things. Wait here." Mom—no, Maddie said. I sat in the car, trying not to have a panic attack as I pulled at the cuff, the main material being hard metal. I looked around the car for anything that would make my skin slick enough to slide the cuff off easily

However, finding nothing, I grabbed at the cuff and pulled with all of the supernatural strength I was allowed to have. The cuff bit into my skin, eventually cutting into the meat of my hands as I started to bleed over the white interior of the car. I grunted in pain, the blood helping speed up the process of the metal band.

It finally gave, leaving deep gashes by my wrist, but I didn't care as I was flinging the door open and running down the street. "Hey! Come back!" An agent yelled as I was sprinting, transforming mid step and taking into the air.

The Guys in White had all terrain vehicles, meaning they would be on my tail in seconds, so I went as fast as I could, all the while feeling energized from being back in my ghost form.

I was about to make it to the school, to tell them to hide me, to make a new plan, to do anything we could to stop whatever was going to happen to me, when I was shot.

Not by a beam. By a bullet.

Pain erupted in my abdomen, making me hunch over and my trajectory changed, making me hit the ground and my previous injuries screamed from the collision. The Guys in White were almost on me, and I made the quick decision to run into the school, in too much pain to use any of my powers. Another bullet hit me in the thigh, and I turned to see a sniper from the GiW go back into one of the armored cars.

I ran into the hallway, knocking over anyone who was in my way, which wasn't many being as it was class time, and no one should be in the halls.

As I rounded a corner, the front doors slammed open, and sounds of angry men stomping the halls hit my ears, and I tried to make sure that no blood hit the ground as I made my escape.

Blood was draining fast and I feared that I wouldn't make it to Sam or Tucker, or hell even Wes.

A blurry memory reminded me that at least Tucker had gym after Lancer, and I hadn't been gone all that long. It had only taken me fifteen minutes to get the cuff off. Blood loss made me revert to human form, the glowing ectoplasm becoming warm human blood, just a shade darker than normal.

I weakly made my way into the gym, all motion stopping and Tucker coming to my side in an instant, Tetslaff in tow. My vision was starting to blacken, and Tucker placed his hands on my abdomen, calling someone over to stop the bleeding in my thigh.

"Hold on buddy, you're going to be fine." Tucker said, his voice sounding hysterical. Dash had eventually come over, followed by Kwan, asking if they could do anything.

"Mr. Foley I need to call the hospital." Tetslaff said, I went to shake my head but I couldn't move, and it was taking so much effort to just keep my eyes open.

The gym doors pounded against the wall, and all I could see was white streaks whisking everyone trying to help me away.

"You are to not touch this entity." A voice said, Tetslaff immediately bristling. "He's dying, and we have to save him."

The Guy in White shook his head. "Negative, ma'am." He said, turning towards me, watching the blood leave my body.

"Load him up, we've got a long drive back to base." He said, walking away. I did nothing as they gathered me, one of the men in armor scooping me up and taking me.

Taking me to danger.

 _They were taking me to my death, and I'll be damned if they get away with it._ The voice that spoke in my head didn't sound like me. It sounded…feral.

I ripped my eyes open and stared up at the man holding me. He looked down and immediately I was kicking free from him, landing my foot in his chest and throwing him backward. I whipped my head around to the sound of a gun loading and with supernatural speed, was next to the man who had shot me. _Twice._

" _ThIs iS tHe lAsT mIsTaKe yOuLl mAkE!_ " I growled, and threw the gun away from his hands as he shook in fear.

Good. They should be afraid of me.

The remaining Guys in White fled the room, screaming about back up as I watched them leave, a twisted smile on my face.

"Danny?"

" _I'll never let them hurt me or anyone else again_." I growled.

"Danny, it's okay. They're gone. You can speak normally." Tucker said, calmly walking forward. I looked an alarmed step back as my memories blurred together. I couldn't figure out who was my friend and who was my enemy. The fear and the panic from the Guys in White was rewiring my brain as I whimpered.

Valerie was the one who acted, lassoing some sort of rope around me as I tried to escape. I growled and hissed and the world was just a bunch of colors and _wHY woULDN'T THEY LET ME GO?_

…

 _Tucker's POV_

"Tucker, I think you better explain, because I'm not going to be able to hold him for long." Valerie called out to me, I pulled out a revised version of the thermos I had been working on, that was able to suck in half-ghosts even when they weren't in their ghost forms.

I had finished it just after Danny had been capture by his mom again, ready to use it just in case something happened.

Looking at Danny now, I knew the stress from everything was eating away at his sanity, so I pointed the thermos at him.

"Valerie, drop the rope when you see this thing activate." I told her. She nodded, giving me a questioning gaze. Tetslaff started to talk about soup, when the blue light activated and sucked Danny into the device.

"What the hell?" Dash asked. "It's not physically possible for a human to fit in that thing Foley, what kind of fucking prank is this?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dash, I wish that it was that easy. Tetslaff, I have to go." I told her, starting to walk out when Val grabbed my arm. "What the hell is he?" She hissed.

"A better person than any of you will ever be, who has been through so much." I snapped, ripping my hand from her hold and rushing out of the gym and into the classroom where Sam was boredly staring at the board.

"Mr. Foley, what is the meaning of this." Mrs. Peylosi hissed at me. I simply held up the device to Sam. "We have to go." I told her.

She nodded, gathering her things and looking to her teacher. "Lancer will explain." She told her, the teacher nodding in angry confusion as we exited the room in a hurry. "Are you going to explain what's going on?" Sam asked as I handed her the thermos. "Danny is in there. I'll explain in Lancer's."

We entered said teachers classroom, the room empty. Lancer probably didn't want too much to do with what was going.

"Why is Danny looked inside this thing?" Sam demanded.

"Basically, his mom sold him to the Guys in White today, and he was chased, bleeding out until he got to the gym, and when they finally almost got ahold of him, he snapped, went crazy, and almost killed a couple agents."

Sam remained silent, worriedly shifting the container in her hands. "He wasn't speaking English and I think he didn't know where he was, or who was actually trying to help him." I finished.

She nodded. "Then it's good you put him in here, before he could harm himself…or anyone else."

I sighed. "Yeah, but I'm worried that this little change in Pysche….is going to be permanent."

She went to say something, before the ground vibrated underneath our feet, nearly toppling us to the ground. Students were running outside, so Sam and I quickly followed them, making sure not to leave Danny behind.

Vines and trees and all sorts of vegetation surrounded the area, making it nearly impossible to go five feet.

"Humans! You have been in control of my children for far too long…"

 _dun dun dun._

 _Anyways, I updated my DP sims, with Danny and Sam's wedding on my tumblr : mckenziemcquillen . tumblr . com_

 _I got an A on my first speech in my public speaking class which was stellar_


	25. But You'll All Get Yours

_Hahaha, if you haven't noticed yet, these two chapter titles have been from Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do, which is starting to be about where I want to go for this story_

 _Also, I'm going to make a playlist on Spotify (a free if you want or 12.99 a month music app, if you haven't heard of it) of this story, so when that's done I'll link it up that chapter. I'm a music major in college, so music basically inspires everything I do lmao_

…

 _Tucker's POV_

Sam and I watched as more and more vegetation and vines erupted out of the earth, cars being flung from their parking spots, and various pedestrians picked up and tossed away a good 200 feet.

Sam picked up the thermos she had dropped on the floor, about to uncap it when a vine had taken it out of her hands, and then took her with it, leaving me alone, panicking.

"Mr. Foley!" I heard Mrs. Tetslaff called out, waving me over. I ran as fast as I could, trying to dodge all of the vines erupting out of the earth. "They got Sam, and the vines took the container and—" Tetslaff cut me off.

"We need to get into the ghost bunkers if we have any chance of saving them, Mr. Foley." I was told, and I nodded and followed her down the stairs of the school into the basement, down another flight of stairs before finally arriving in the stark white bunkers.

Valerie, Star, Wes, Dash, Kwan, and various others (including Paulina) were huddled together, ignoring the chairs in the room as I walked in. "What do we do?" Paulina asked, her voice shaking.

"The vines won't be able to get in here, but I don't know..." Lancer piped up. I sighed. "The only people capable of really stopping anything…are trapped." I sighed, rubbing my face in my hands.

"Ms. Manson?" Lancer asked, some nerds also showing their concern. I shook my head. "She was grabbed by the vines too." I told them.

They all sighed, looking to various authority figures to know what to do. "Honestly, we have everything we need down here to survive a long time, if need be." Lancer said.

"We need to save Sam." I protested. Valerie spoke up. "I might be able to help…. I was sent ghost hunting equipment to try and hunt…well…Phantom, since he ruined my life, but you could help me use it."

I scoffed. "Val, I'm not going to help you learn how to use equipment that's going to help you hunt one of my be-" I paused as she looked at me curiously. "Buyers… I give Phantom equipment from time to time." I said.

Wes snorted and I stomped on his foot. Valerie rolled her eyes. "I don't care, but if you want to save your friends, then this is what's going to happen….and while we are at it, you can tell us what's up with Fenton."

I glared harshly at her. "Don't you dare expect me to answer to you about what's going on with Danny."

She shrugged. "Why not? It's not like he's human. Probably just a failed experiment of his parents."

I resisted the urge to punch her in the chin, and ground my teeth together. "Well, Val. You are completely wrong. He is more human than you'll _ever_ be. Maybe quit being so close minded because _one ghost_ made _one mistake_. You'll save yourself and a lot of other people the stress of having to deal with your dumbass." I spat, grabbing the backpack out of her hands, much to her anger, and going off to one of the desks and sat down, dumping all of her equipment on the table.

"Be lucky I'm not turning you into the Fenton's for unauthorized ecto-equipment." I called over my shoulder, bluffing because there is no way I would ever go to Danny's parents for anything.

It was all pretty standard. A red jumpsuit with none of the features of Sam's suit, and looked to be a copycat of Sam's suit. I wondered where she had obtained it for a second before tampering with it, putting in Danny's ectosignature under things the suit couldn't target, before finally adding upgrades to give it an edge against the plants.

It had taken me a total of five hours, with the other students quiet talking behind me. I worked fast, not knowing what would happen to Sam if I didn't succeed.

I got up just before the six-hour mark, everyone's attention on me in an instant, a welcome change to the usual.

I beckoned Valerie forward, who had the decency to look guilty. I ignored her with a cold expression. "I can track you through your suit, and I have live video feed from your helm. I already added all of the ghosts your suit won't be able to fire at in the mainframe, so don't get any ideas if you _do_ happen to find Phantom out there." I told her.

She seemed disappointed but nodded. "The suit is going to be useful against the vines, and you can fly about as fast as NightShade." I almost choked up on Sam's persona name.

"But I'm not going to be as good as Phantom's girlfriend?" Valerie asked. I shook my head. "No. No one can be as good as her."

She nodded. "Good luck, Val." I told her with all of the sincerity I could put in words. She graced me with a small smile, before exiting the bunker as the suit formed onto her body.

The video feed was sent to one of the monitors in the room, so the class and I gathered around one of them.

The city was a disaster. "We are going to need good lawn care workers after this is done." Someone whistled. I choked on a laugh. Now was not the time for jokes, but that didn't mean it wasn't appreciated.

I activated the DCOMM. "Any sign of life, Val?" I asked.

" _Negative…except for near that huge purple tree. Two signs of life near the top…but one is a ghost_." Valerie reported.

"Check it out. Be on your guard." I told her. The video feed moved up and down as if she was nodding, which made me smirk.

She flew closer to the tree, the vegetation slightly thicker here. I took a deep breath as she approached.

There, sitting in a short green dress, barefoot was Sam, swinging her legs over the branch she was sitting on.

Her hair was down, the long locks flowing freely down her back as she mumbled a song. " _Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?_ " The audio feed picked up.

"What the fuck." Dash whispered.

" _With silver bells and cockle shells-"_

" _ **aNd MaRiGoLdS aLl In A rOw**_." A deeper, maniac voice finished, two white gloves came around Valerie, effectively grabbing her and throwing her off her board, making her stand.

"Oh hell." I mumbled, flicking on the DCOMM. "Valerie, what's the status?"

"P-hantom." She panted. "It's like he's gone nuts, and-" She was cut off by what looked to be vines. Valerie looked up at the perpetrator.

"Sam…?" I whispered under my breath.

She had bright, glowing green eyes, no pupils. Her eyelashes were thick and dark, with a black lipstick (which I wasn't sure was actually lipstick and more of a tint that the ghost powers she now possessed were affecting her) on her normal purple lips.

Her hair had various thorns, leaves, and even flowers decorating it, coming into an intricate flower crown at the center of her head. I noticed that many of the flowers were blood blossoms.

The dress she was wearing came to a low cut on her chest, revealing cleavage I _know_ Sam would never purposely reveal. On her bicep rested a spiked cuff, and around her throat was a spiked choker.

Coming to float next to her, was Danny. He was wearing his usual jumpsuit, with a spiked vine wrapped around his arm. I noted that it was connected directly to Sam's hip. A gold crown (much like the one he wore under the control of Freakshow, I thought with a chill), adorned his head, and his eyes were a pupil less red.

They smirked down at Valerie, who's heartrate had jumped up, meaning she was currently terrified.

"Ask them what why they are doing this." I said into the link.

Valerie took a shaky breath, and spoke clearly. "Why are you doing this?" She asked. Sam frowned, the vines bringing her to the ground, her bare feet daintily touching the grass as she came closer.

Her eyes were surreal, swirling ectoplasm showing she was not in control of herself.

"My father wants a kingdom for his children. So, with my love, we will rule over the earth, destroying everything mankind made, taking back the planet as our own."

"Your love?" Valerie asked, shocked.

She pulled at the vine on her hip, Danny obediently coming down and resting next to her. "The king of my heart and soul, Red Huntress." Sam said, a small smile on her lips.

I groaned, briefly catching the attention of the other students who stared at the screen in shock.

"Ask her why the ghost wanted her." I told Valerie.

I could see Danny's ears perk up, and felt anxious as he looked at the helm, his ghost senses no doubt picking up the static of the DCOMM, which I immediately turned off.

"Why does the ghost want you, Sam?" Valerie asked. Danny stopped his inspection to look at the girl in question.

"Because, my love of nature makes me the perfect caretaker for the garden." Sam said, almost robotically.

"But why him?" Valerie asked for herself.

I sighed, rubbing my face.

"Because only those who really love you, can stand by your side forever." Sam and Danny replied together, Danny sliding an arm around her waist as Sam raised her hand delicately, pointing at Valerie.

"I suggest you run now." Sam smile, and her eyes flashed a dark purple as vines sprang to life, causing Valerie to immediately flee, calling on her board and coming towards us quickly.

I hoped she made it time.

…

 _Danny's POV_

My love circled the place where the Huntress had been sitting a moment ago, her vines delicately wrapping around her leg, resting lightly.

"She had someone directing her." I told her. She nodded, her eyes coming to mine. "I know. I could hear the voice."

" _Then you two have no time to lose._ " Our father called out to us.

Sam and I looked up, hand in hand as our father, Undergrowth, revealed himself after his rest.

" _You two have done beautifully, I could not ask for a better king and queen of my jungle…however, you must find where the Huntress came from, for I lost track of her after she reached the high school._ "

My love and I nodded.

"Come, my sun and stars. We have work to be done." Sam told me, and I followed her obediently to find the huntress and do some of our more mundane chores.

The vine connecting my love and I together relaxed a bit, Sam nodding her head at me. I could go to the prisoners, feed them, get them ripe for the children.

Sam took care of the children as I floated to the vine cage, various citizens of the town littered inside, waiting for their chores or waiting for death.

The woman I recognized as my birth mother glared up at me, eyeing my every move. "You best be care, Madeline. I can't promise my love will be as forgiving as I have been." I told her.

The various men in white watched the exchange, and I could feel the vine pull my love towards me. "Your love? She's a human girl who you are controlling."

A solid vibration throughout the cage made her loose her footing, Sam coming up next to me with a look of rage.

" _Actually, I'm the one controlling_ _ **both**_ _of them Madeline_." Father's voice boomed as he materialized inside the cage.

Madeline kept her ground, though her eyes showed confusion. "For what purpose would you need a human and a _freak_."

Undergrowth tsked. " _Listen, hunter. He is detrimental to maintaining control of Ms. Manson, because he is the one she loves, and vice versa. I can only control people who have humanity…. remember that. A ghost with no humanity, who has no care in the world for human life or morals, cannot be controlled._ "

The Guys in White dropped their jaw in realization. "And is this the case for all control?" He asked. Undergrowth nodded.

" _Nature's way._ " Undergrowth finished, shrinking down to more my size before coming to stand in front of me. " _Do not let them get to you, my son. Show them what you can do if need be._ " He told me.

I nodded, pulled my arm to my side so Sam would come to me. "If they continue to shirk their duties, or continue to harass me and my love, I will do the punishments as needed." I told him.

He nodded, pride evident on his face, before disappearing in a swirl of vines. Madeline was silent for once in her life, watching as I touched down on the ground.

"Ages 13-17, your planting duties are on schedule for an hour from now. Get your rest. As for you," I turned to Madeline and the Guys in White, "Continue doing whatever my father asks…or I will have to resort to extreme measures."

Sam pulled me to her, by wrapping a vine around my waist and pulling me up, making a startled laugh escape my throat.

"Wanna go play?" She asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes, as I pulled her closer and pressed my lips against her fluttering pulse.

"Absolutely, my stars."

…

 _OH MAN, I love me some evil DxS…it might be my favorite thing on this earth._

 _I did well on my first exam of my college life, and I hope you liked the new chapter._


	26. Apologies and a New Brother

_Danny's POV_

Sam and I sped off towards the school, hand in hand with matching grins. " _Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary, how does your garden grow?_ " We sang, coming to a stop in the doorway of the overgrown school.

Everything was much prettier covered in the children.

We walked quietly, feet not making a sound, keeping our movements slow so we could hear anything that could come our way.

I heard muffled shouting, like it was coming from underground. I pressed my love against the wall and pointed to my ear, telling her to listen.

She concentrated, ears perking up when she heard the sounds. "Didn't they install bunkers?" She whispered, placing her hands delicately on my chest.

"They'll have a ghost shield, I won't be able to get in." I told her. She nodded. "But I can." She smirked, and we went to the basement, and down the other set of stairs we knew were there.

"My sun and stars, become human for me so we can capture them together." She whispered as we appeared in front of a stark white hallway, with a ghost shield in front of it. I nodded, allowing the transformation to wash over me and make me human.

Sam brushed black hair out of my eyes, leaning into kiss my lips. "Focus, my heart, we have prisoners to tend to." I told her, but not before resting my forehead on hers. She rolled her eyes but kissed my cheek, the vines placing her down on the ground and we delicately walked towards the sliding doors.

I pressed my ear against the cool metal, and listened.

"Valerie, I can't tell you anything, all I know is that Sam isn't herself right now, and things she says could be lies given to you by Undergrowth." Tucker Foley's voice came to me, and I willed the transformation, happy that I was able to switch in and out of ghost form in a shield.

Sam smirked at me, raising her hands so the vines would get ready.

"Tucker, we both know that's complete bullshit. I risked my life for her and now you won't explain?" The Huntresses voice replied.

I nodded at Sam, placing ice over the door so the locks would break with ease, but careful with the children at the same time.

Sam flung her arm forward the vines bursting into the room, the people inside having no choice but to be wrapped up in their strong grips.

Sam and I walked in, coming face to face with the boy who used to be our friend. "Tucker," Sam whispered, placing an arm on his shoulder. "Come rule with us. You could be a king." She whispered.

He snarled and somehow flung his arm away from her grasp. "This isn't who you guys are." He told us.

I laughed.

"How'd you get through the ghost shield?" Someone asked me. Tucker's eyes warned me against it, but my pride got in the way.

I willed the transformation again, watching as everyone watching, albeit the ones who already knew, looked to me in shock. "Because, you can get anywhere if you aren't supposed to exist."

Sam wrapped her arms around my chest and pulled me against her, vines wrapping around the two of us as she commanded the vines to take the prisoners away.

"Have fun with your chores." She called over her shoulder, turning me around and burrowing into my chest.

"If you didn't exist, my sweet, my life would be dull, and without color." Sam told me, her green eyes boring into mine. I kissed her lips passionately, thankful for the words to have come out of her mouth.

We reluctantly pulled apart, realizing that we would have to help them get situated into their tasks. Sam wound a vine around my waist and pulled me along with her, her hands resting gently on my arm.

"I don't know why Undergrowth is having you guys do this, all I know is that I'm going to make sure that I get you guys out of this." A gentle tug at my heart made Sam and I freeze. We looked down to Tucker Foley, whose eyes shown with a fierce determination like no other.

…

 _Undergrowth's POV_

" _Interesting_." I said to myself, watching the scene as my children's old friend told him his plans. "That could be problematic."

I sighed, wondering who on earth would be able to help me. Such determination couldn't be snuffed out by anything, and would most likely mean the mind vine would not be able to take hold in his mind.

I shifted my weight, my vines tired from growing all of my children in the small window of time. I looked at the boy again, before deciding to visit an old friend.

I stopped in front of the old Amity museum, it's treasures still intact. The inside was spotless, as I had promised my friend.

"Hotep Ra. I need your assistance." I called out.

Tendrils of bandages shot out of a sarcophagus and then appeared my old friend, Hotep.

"What is needed of me, Undergrowth."

I smirked up at the face of Tucker Foley, a picture of his ancient ancestor who was some pharaoh I had forgotten the name of and Hotep had served.

"It seems that the face of your old pharaoh has been reincarnated, and I need him under control so I can continue my growth, what do you say of a little teaming up, old friend?"

Hotep smiled around his bandages. "I would be happy to assist you, Undergrowth." He said, picking up a scepter from an old display case.

I smiled maliciously, already feeling the wrinkles in my plans smoothening out.

"I'll call my children." I told him, and together we flew out into the overgrown streets of Amity Park with visions of controlling the human population in our minds.

…

 _Danny's POV_

When father called Sam and I to him, I had my suspicion of the mummy ghost that floated next to him, with a cruel grin and a scepter in hand.

" _Children, you want the best for the garden, do you not?_ " Father asked. I nodded, along with Sam, vines wrapping around her legs and my own.

" _Then we need another. Hotep Ra will be getting him for us._ "

"Father, honestly. My love and I are handling things well here." Sam argued. I nodded along with her, both of us stepping forward.

"You have them trained like dogs, how adorable." The mummy ghost teased. I felt my muscles bunch up in agitation before father waved me off in dismissal.

" _Come now, Daniel. Samantha, I understand, I truly do. But even you two deserve a break. Hotep, ready the boy._ " Father said, before Hotep nodded and took off.

Father gave us one more look, before nodding and leaving. I sighed in frustration. "Does father not trust us…? Me?" Sam asked.

I shook my head, letting the vines pull us closer. "No, my love. He…probably just wants us to not have to work as hard with the fugitives and prisoners…that's all." I said.

She nuzzled her cheek into my chest and sighed, and I took in the lavender scent of her hair before she pulled away to press her lips to mine. My hands immediately grasped her hair, passionately kissing her back to show her how much I loved her.

Nothing could tear us apart.

"Can we go torture the newbies now?" Sam asked as we pulled away. I laughed, letting her pull me away towards the jail cells.

Abruptly, we stopped. We saw Hotep and father standing above the prisoners, watching as Tucker told them off. "I'll never join you. Why would I do that when you have my best friends?" He asked.

Sam and I looked at each other, before she made sure we were unable to be seen. "Because, I have your best friends." Father said, his voice sounding more dangerous and malicious than ever before.

Sam looked hurt that he was choosing Tucker over us, so I grabbed her hand and gripped it tight. 

Tucker scoffed, before going rigid. "I see politely asking wasn't going to work, Undergrowth." Hotep said.

"…so, it seems. Come now, our new child. Come join the others."

Tucker's eyes glowed an eerie, pupil less blue. The other humans surrounding him looked to him in fear as his normal clothes melted away into something more sinister, looking as if he was a pharaoh from ancient Egypt.

"Yes. Father." He ground out, his mind still trying to fight control. "Samantha." Father's voice called out, still with hate lacing every word.

Sam left our hiding place and went to him. He stroked her hair, and I felt my nerves on end. It was in that moment that I realized I didn't trust him anymore.

Taking Tucker was crossing the line. Sam felt my distrust and looked to me, before nodding. She agreed.

I left the hiding place behind and went back to the garden to clear my head. Perhaps I would feel better after that.

…

 _Maddie's POV_

Tucker was pacing back and forth, and honestly if I wasn't so emotionally drained, I would've slapped him.

"Tucker, calm down." Valerie complained. "No. There has to be some way we can get out of this…so I can save my friends."

"They aren't worth saving." A rogue agent said with a hiss.

Tucker looked as if he was about to pounce when Valerie grabbed him. "We'll do something, but for now we need to get our rest."

"She's right, Tucker." I spoke. "No, you, shut the fuck up. You don't have a _right_ to talk to me, Mrs. Fenton."

"Tucker, I agree that I've not treated Daniel fairly. That I've treated him like he was nothing, and in this moment, knowing what I know now, I regret it. He's my son and I should've listened to him. To his sister…to my husband. But…I didn't. I was a fool and a coward and I'm sorry." I said, tears dripping down my face. I meant every word too.

If only ghosts with humanity can be controlled…the humanity being the thing that is manipulated, then why couldn't I see it before? I had hurt my son time and time again because I believed that it was stopping him from becoming evil.

What else had I been wrong about?

"I'm not the one that you need to apologize to." Tucker said, no hint of remorse. I felt like I had been punched, and recoiled back into myself.

"Tucker, she doesn't deserve that." One of the A-listers said.

"No, do you know what she did to him? She cut him open, treated him like he was garbage, sold him to the guys in white, and above all else, treated him like he wasn't family. Ever since the accident Danny has been living in an abusive shitshow of a home…and she just drags him back in when she comes home from Germany. Makes him break up with Sam so Sam and I would leave him alone…makes him become the outcast that he used to be." Tucker ranted.

Everyone looked to me with either hate, anger, or disbelief in their eyes…and I couldn't face them.

" _So much hate. So much deceit._ " Undergrowth's voice stated. We all looked up, to him and an unfamiliar ghost floating above us.

" _He'll make a fine edition_." The other ghost said.

" _Mr. Foley, we would like to offer you an honor. We would like you to join your friends and rule the garden._ " Undergrowth said, opening his arms wide and gesturing to the vines around him.

"I'll never join you. Why would I do that when you have my best friends?" Tucker growled.

"Because I have your best friends." Undergrowth's voice was no longer sweet and caring…it was now malicious and hateful.

Tucker convulsed and suddenly stood rigid, his eyes glowing a bright blue.

"I see politely asking wasn't going to work, Undergrowth." The mummy ghost, holding the scepter pointed at Tucker, said.

"…so, it would seem. Come now, our new child. Come join the others."

"Yes…Father." Tucker's voice came out strained, the blue of his eyes flicker back to his natural eye color as he fought the control, before the blue was constant. He had lost.

Valerie was suddenly held by vines as she tried to run towards him. She whipped her head around, looking for Samantha.

"Samantha!" Undergrowth called out, before he cleared his throat. He always used a nice tone when talking to Sam.

She appeared by his side moments later, and I realized she had to have been close by. "Take our new child, your new brother, to the gardens…. without argument, this time." Undergrowth told her, still not taking the hate out of his tone.

She turned around to look at some bushes ways away before nodding. My son took off from the bush and towards what I assume would be the gardens. "Yes father." She mumbled, summoning the vines to take Tucker to the gardens.

Undergrowth disappeared with a call of, "Hotep!" before both ghosts disappeared.

Sam looked at us, before touching down in the cage, the vines holding Valerie in place relaxing. "He would have killed you if I hadn't restrained you." She told Valerie, her voice filled with emotion. Lancer took a step forward.

"Sam…if you are in there…we need help, we need to get out of this mess."

"…Danny and I are…. agreeing…that perhaps father's idea of the garden is differed from ours..." Sam said.

I felt a sense of relief wash over me. "Father wanted a new son…. for reasons, I do not know."

"Sam, he's controlling you and Danny…making you guys believe what he wants you to and do things he wants you to do." Valerie said, brushing a hand over her shoulder.

Sam sighed. "We know now. We hear you. But do not think this changes the fact that you treated my love like dirt. You treated everyone I love like dirt. You will not get out of your judgement." Sam's old, hostile, voice rang true in those words.

She allowed a vine to wrap around her waist. "But I will allow that judgement to come farther in the future." She promised, and with that final word, she was gone.

…

 _Riverdale is a thing that I watch now and It's so fucking good._

 _School is going well, but I will say it's the reason that this update is so late._

 _Happy reading! (pls review, reviews make me happy)._


	27. Time Always Changes

_Danny's POV_

"So, you want to disobey father?" Tucker stated, twirling the end of his garments between his fingers. I rolled my eyes but nodded.

"Yes. He isn't thinking clearly and is making decisions that could jeopardize the plan." I told him. Sam was flung toward us, so I flung my arms out on instinct, catching her and setting her down.

"The Garden is being forgotten. He's forgetting the original plan. The children." Sam agreed.

The pharaoh scoffed. "As if I care about your precious children." He said, standing tall.

Sam and I stepped toward him, each placing a hand on his shoulder. The effect was immediate. He calmed, his hands clasping over ours. "We could take this world for ourselves." We told him.

His eyes looked up in intrigue. "I'm listening."

"If we overthrow father, we can get revenge on those who oppose us, ourselves." Sam said, the vines tittering eagerly at her feet. She was getting better at harnessing Undergrowth's power.

"Sam can also harness Undergrowth's power, rendering him useless." I continued. Tucker looked up in awe. "Why haven't you done this before?" He asked. "While I was still weak?"

We sighed. "We were blinded by Undergrowth's love, but we know now that we were created to take us off of the playing field."

"He didn't want to be beaten." Tucker understood. "That's why he took you, as well." Sam told him, the vines making her float above the ground.

"We will rule, then?" Tucker asked. We nodded, Sam getting a wicked smirk on her face. "It's come into light that Danny is actually the Ghost King, for he beat Paraiah Dark." She said.

I remembered that battle. Sam and Tucker had not wanted me to leave them, but I did anyway, and I was victorious.

"…Will you make the journey then? To the castle?"

I nodded. "If you begin the fight, I will end it."

"And if Sam is reverted back to her human self when Undergrowth is no more?" Tucker asked. I sighed.

It was a small possibility. Sam was powered by Undergrowth's mind vine. If that was rendered no more, would…Sam not be herself anymore?

"Then we figure it out." I told him. "Even if I have to give her back to the humans."

Sam looked angry that I would, but her eyes softened. I would be unable to fight her. I loved her too much to ever lay a hand on her.

"And you? Will you ever…become the weaker form of yourself?" Tucker asked me. I thought about it. I didn't feel the voice of reason anymore, the thing that kept me sane throughout everything Madeline did to me, so I shook my head.

"…No. I think Daniel Fenton is dead." I stated.

…

Tucker and Sam got into position at the edge of the gardens. "I will head to FentonWorks and take the crown for myself, and then I will return and we will rule together." I told them, before they summoned their powers (having trained Tucker for a good hour), the plan was in effect.

Tucker and Sam would be the offensive, not giving the humans any weapons, but allowing them to fight hand to hand. They would be powerless to stop me anyways, but it stopped them from stabbing Sam and Tucker in the back.

I would fetch the crown, come back, and finish off father and Hotep Ra. Then and only then would we rule together as an everlasting trio.

I took to the skies, quickly opening the ghost portal and entering the green mass.

Nobody spoke, and ghosts hid away from me. Tales of Sam and I's endeavours must have already seen the 'Zone. I flew fast, to Pariahs Keep where the crown was left.

It sat on a pedestal, the Ring of Rage sitting next to it in some type of suspended animation. I took off my old, golden crown that Undergrowth had made me wear, and placed it on the ground. I no longer needed it.

I grabbed the crown, the fire turning into a pure white, before I placed it on top of my head. When I went for the ring, I was flung away, the crown remaining firmly placed on my head.

"Daniel. That is quite enough." An all knowing voice called out. I growled under my breath before suddenly I was no longer in the Keep, but in a tower, filled with cogs and gears.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I growled. A ghost appeared, a clock in his chest and seeming to age up and down.

"I am Clockwork. Master of Time, and you have made a mess of yourself, as it would seem. In all timelines, you seem to always have a bad run, and I have to fix it, before the Observants do it themselves."

I rolled my eyes. "You are destroying the plan, Clockwork. Step aside. I am King after all." I said with a smirk, crossing my arms.

He sighed. "Daniel. I am your _guardian_. For the main timeline, and all others."

I paused. "Others? There are other timelines." Clockwork nodded. "This is not…I'll admit, my favorite timeline. There is an infinite number of alternate universes, and I watch over you in all of them."

"Then where were you before?" I hissed.

"I do not like to spend time in this one. I prefer the main timeline. The one that—"

"I don't care about any of my other timelines. _This_ is my life, and you could've saved me." I told him.

He nodded. "I am too involved in another timeline. Too fond of you, and I'll admit I should have saved you. No matter. What is done is done. Everything is as it should be. I am here now." He told me. "I will not leave until we can sort out what's happening, and as it were, you will not be leaving either."

I sighed, the crowns flames flicking in irritation. "What about my friends?" I asked. "They will not let me rule beside them if I am anything below what I am right now." I told him. He shook his head.

"You'll have to fight them. I cannot go into details, but this will be one of the hardest battles you'll ever fight." Clockwork told me. "But you can't do it with a messed up head, so why don't we work through that."

"Why? So I can trust so easily again and get my heartbroken?" I asked. He shook his head, motioning towards a large clock, the face of it disappearing into a screen.

On it was my father, looking over the news in worry as it went into a story about an enslaved town, ruled by Danny Phantom and a human, they being ruled by a plant ghost, planning on taking over the world. I felt a pang of guilt, before I shook it off. "My father means nothing to me."

"I know when you are lying. Even in this timeline, you are too easy to read."

"You keep saying that like you know me in other timelines."

"I do. Many, actually. The one I refer to the most often is what I call the main timeline. Sam and Tucker were with you in the accident, friends since kindergarten. It is interesting to see what life would've been like without them." He said.

I sighed. "Probably much happier." I said, feeling anger grow within me. "Well, you didn't save me before. So why don't you just forget about me and go see the other Danny who is probably much happier than I am, okay? I don't need you. I'll. Be. FINE." The last word forced itself out of my throat in sheer power, blowing Clockwork to the side and allowing me to make my escape.

Flying back to the keep, I grabbed the ring and paused. I muttered to myself. "The maintime line, aye?" I smirked, heading back to Clockwork's domain, the screen now showing Amity Park, the same one, but a different Timeline.

"Let's see how I live, hmm?"

And I entered the time-stream.

…

 _No one's POV_

All is as it should be.

…

 _This is the fillerest of filler chapters but I needed to get this little filler chapter in before I start on what goes on when Evil Danny meets our Danny from the universe the show takes place in._

 _However, normal Danny will be the same age (eighteen) as Evil Danny._

 _So._

 _Good._


	28. A Battle of Two Dannys

_There still isn't Phantom Planet though bc Fuck that._

 _Danny's POV_

I entered the time portal and immediately made myself invisible. Checking a clock, it was around 8 in the morning, and immediately I was almost knocked to the side by a specter flying quickly past me.

I narrowed my eyes and teleported to the place they were fighting.

One being me.

I looked about the same, just shorter fringe and slightly larger, meaning I looked like I actually ate everyday rather than skipping meals. I looked…. energized. Happy.

"Look I seriously don't have time for this okay? I have a test that I actually studied for, for once."

I tilted my head slightly, recognizing the other ghost as Bertrand. "Oh, quiet boy. Spectra would like your head on a-AHH!"

Other me had already gotten out the thermos and sucked Bertrand into it. Interesting. He blew his bangs out of his eyes and strapped the thermos to his belt, darting to an alleyway and immediately turning human. I was wearing a white t-shirt, skinny light wash jeans, and red converse. My face was devoid of any sign of wearing glasses or having any visual impairment which would just be fucking dumb as hell.

Of _course_ other me would also have perfect eyesight. What else does he have that I don't?

I followed him invisibly, chilling some people as they passed through me, sending glares at my alternate timeline self.

He stopped in front of Sam's house (what I assumed to be Sam's house) and she came outside with two backpacks in her hand. "Did you catch him?" She smirked. She was just as beautiful here as she was in my time.

Danny nodded. "Yep, it was easy."

"You are very good at what you do." Sam smiled. They paused, watching each other for a second before blushing and looking the other way.

They weren't together here.

Interesting.

"Sup Lovebirds."

"WE AREN'T LOVEBIRDS." They screamed together, making the other voice, Tucker, scoff. "Sure, and I left my beret at home." He said, beret firmly on his head.

Danny glared at him and rolled his eyes. "Any word on Plasmius? Or from Clockwork?"

I felt a pang of jealousy. Clockwork had revealed himself to other me. Tucker shook his head. "No…quiet on both ends. Clockwork hasn't come to us since two days ago when he said he had to take care of some time things."

I narrowed my eyes. Take care of usually meant get rid of. If I hadn't defended myself, Clockwork planned on ending me.

Sam sighed. "Just another thing we have to figure out."

Just looking at other me had me angry, so I made sure to block the ectosignature about to attack other me, so I could get some energy out.

I flew up invisibly, looking for the ghost, before going to an abandoned gun warehouse, knowing exactly who it was here.

Skulker was setting a trap in the middle of the room, I touched the ground and walked towards him, making myself visible.

"…Whelp. You are early." Skulker said surprised, trailing off whenever he actually looked up at me. "…What happened to _you_?"

I contemplated. "A time ghost came to my time to destroy me, so I thought I'd stop by this timeline he had talked about." I said, leaning on a bunch of boxes.

Skulker blinked. "…um." He seemed at a loss of what to do. "Oh, please continue, but you aren't going to trap anything with the trajectory aimed right at the head. It's easily dodge-able by either bending down or flying away." I told him.

Skulker just stared at me. I sighed. "Man, this timeline is boring." I said, firing a blood red ectoblast at Skulker sending him up into the sky and flying into some building somewhere.

"Showtime." I growled. Ectoblast's staying in my hands and I shot into the sky as well, following the trail of smoke.

Skulker had crashed into the school, so I watched from the roof as Other Danny surveyed the damage with a bunch of other familiar faced teens.

"...Get away from me." Skulker said in fear. Danny looked puzzled. "You are a monster, whelp. A _monster_." Skulker said before he disappeared into nothing. I smirked.

A monster? What if I brought along two more?

I flew away, allowing my ectosignature to be picked up by the other Phantom, who didn't know how to process the new information and just looked to his friends with a grim expression.

…

 _Other Danny's POV_

"Well that's awkward." Tucker stated. Sam shrugged. "What have you done to him that he hasn't done to you? Hypocrite." 

The ectosignature left as soon as I had sensed it, other people looking to me in confusion.

"Mr. Lancer, I should probably report this to my parents…or Phantom. One of the two." I said, grabbing Sam and Tucker.

"I don't think Skulker was talking about _me_ exactly." I told them. Sam looked at me, her eyes shining with confusion.

"…I haven't fought him in two weeks. I didn't do this to him. But he _thinks_ that I did." I told them. Tucker paused. "New shapeshifter?"

I shrugged. "Maybe? The ecto-signature I picked up was vaguely familiar. Maybe get Val on it?" I asked him. He nodded. "I'm so glad that she's in Team Phantom now." Tucker said as he ran to find Valerie.

"Danny what's going on?" Sam whispered. I shook my head. "I have no idea, and I'm not all that excited to find out. If a shapeshifter is powerful enough to do that to Skulker, then what else can he do?"

"Or she." Sam pointed out.

I smiled. "Right. Or she." I said, watching her as she walked off in the direction of the classroom while I decided to fly around town to see if I could figure out who was behind all of this.

I hated how familiar that ghost sense felt. I knew the ghost, but it wasn't one I had fought before. But, somehow, I knew it. I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled tightly, feeling annoyed that I couldn't pin point the ecto-signature.

I'd have to figure it out, and fast.

…

A trip to Clockwork's lair left me scared and confused. Clockwork wasn't there. No message that he couldn't help me, and no words to encourage me.

Flying through the Ghost Zone, I tried to talk to anyone I could about the weird ecto-signature, but many eyed me warily. "No, but what you did to Skulker today was rough." One told me.

"For crying out loud, I haven't _touched_ Skulker today. I was in class!" I screamed out to anyone who told me about Skulker.

I ended up just flying home, no answers to reassure me or help me in anyway. I touched down in a dark lab, my parents not home to attack me with any questions. We got along easier these days, and they pretty much let me use the lab as I pleased.

"…How does it feel?" I heard a voice say, but it was _my_ voice. _I_ said that, but it wasn't me.

I turned sharply, facing the shadow of myself in the corner who had his back to me. "How does _what_ feel?" I demanded.

He sighed, twirling what looked like a rope on his finger and walking to the portal. "Your life? I'm curious." He said.

I looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. From the back, the costume was the same, the only difference was the crown of fire resting on top of his head. I looked at him in confusion.

"It's fine, I guess. How did you get the Crown of Fire? I had that hidden a long time ago from Vlad." I demanded.

"In this timeline. Not in mine."

My blood ran cold. "Yep, Clocky told me all about the timelines until I defeated him, rendered him useless in my own, and now I plan on taking yours."

He finally turned around, a photocopy of me, just with red eyes and glowing red ectoplasm. "Now, let's see how I fight, hmm?" He muttered, before disappearing.

I had about thirty seconds to prepare before he lunged at me. I immediately took to the air, flying out of the lab invisibly with evil me right behind. I didn't get far before he grabbed my ankle and threw me into the pavement, right where school was letting out below me. Sam and Tucker ran from the masses, ready to help however they could.

"You wouldn't be able to beat him." I wheezed getting up and getting in a stance, summoning an ice sword and watching my back, my front, and every side. I had to get the upper hand, or I was toast.

"Danny what are you talking about."

"Shapeshifter isn't a shapeshifter." I told them, before was knocked to the ground by a blood red ectoblast, screaming in pain.

He flickered into visibility, looking around at the shocked faces of everyone around me, before scoffing. "It's so _different_ here. I'm almost jealous." He stated. His voice was mine, but more…intellectual. More pained.

"What's so bad about your timeline that you had to come screw with mine? Skulker didn't deserve-" I cut off with a scream of pain as I was forced on my knees in front of…myself? This is really confusing. His eyes glowed scarlet and that crazed smile never left his face.

"Hmm. Let's see. Basically, I got my powers when I was fourteen—" I cringed when he said powers, "Except my parents were _there_." He spat. "You had Sam and Tucker with you when you… _died_ , and I had my psychopath mother and submissive father there to watch me as I came out like, _this_." He gestured to himself.

I tried to get off my knees only succeeding in falling onto my hands. "Sam and Tucker should've helped you." I whispered to him, his smile finally turning into a frown.

"I guess they did, for a while. I didn't become friends with them until junior year, when I finally started to learn how to control my powers and even started playing hero for a little while, just like you… now here is another place where our paths don't line up, besides the fact that I'm basically a genius and you're _not_." He paused looking at Sam before smirking, teleporting behind her and grabbing her before coming back in front of me.

"Don't even touch her." I spat at him, and he suddenly forced the transformation out of me, gasps of shock ringing in my ears as I transformed into Danny Fenton.

"…Oh, I'd never be able to hurt Sammy." He whispered before letting her go, but not letting her leave. He tiptoed around her, her eyes never leaving mine.

"My mother experimented on me. Made me believe I was nothing. I finally… _snapped_." His eyes locked to mine with a surprising snap.

"And now, you're a villain who can only state his monologue just like the rest." I said, seeing Valerie in the distance. Evil Danny was unfazed, simply grabbing the board before it hit him and throwing her to the ground.

"Genius." He pointed to his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Little lines like that are clues to the fact that something is about to stop me. I can predict your every move, and right now _I_ am the one stalling. For there is one more thing different about us—" He stopped listening to what sounded like explosions in the distance.

I was suddenly able to move, and I got Sam and took her into my arms and made sure that I was in between her and…me.

"- _I_ got the girl." He said, and disappeared before miles and miles of vines took over the city, incasing it and making it almost impossible to get away. "We have to get inside… _NOW_!" I told everyone, no one knowing what to say, or even trying to argue, before they were going back inside.

"Danny, what—" Sam started, Tucker coming up to me, the wind almost blowing us down.

"My my, my sweet, what pretty little doppelgängers we have." A sensual voice called out, and plant Sam rose from the weeds and into evil me's arms.

"Is Pharaoh on his way as well?" He asked her. She nodded, a vine wrapping around them connecting them together.

"We need to deal with this later…when we can figure out how to stop him." I whispered, only looking at Sam, who understood. "Later…" She whispered, grabbing my shoulder and going inside before the ghost shield incased itself over the school, making everyone safe.

"Daniel…what is going on." Mom whispered. "I…I'm sorry." I stuttered. She hugged me in her arms. "No need to apologize…I already see what happens if I decide you aren't worth anything to me, not that you would have to worry about that anyways."

"All of this happens, because? What? You have a rough life? Give me a break." Someone said in the background.

"No…there has to be something I can do…to help him." I whispered.

"Then you need to do it before he gets his hands on "the pharaoh," Tucker said. I snapped my fingers. "That has to be you. We do everything together, in almost every timeline."

"Yeah, and you and Sam fu-" I clasped my hand over his mouth. "Not needed right now, TF." I blushed. Sam didn't meet my eyes, but she looked up eventually.

"If you had me…and Tucker…what changed? What happened?" Sam asked. "…. There's only one way to find out." I told her. "We got to _his_ timeline, find Clockwork, and we help him." I told her.

"And if it doesn't work?" Tucker asked. The others looked at me in worry and fear.

"Then I end him….and liberate the world he's created." I said, before walking away.

…

 _Wow what's goin on friends._


	29. The Plan

_True Timeline Danny's POV_

"Jesus Christ, are we sure that this is Amity Park?" Tucker asked, holding on tightly to my waist. I shook my head. "That's definitely Fenton Works over there, but the rest of the town looks like someone spilled a lot of Miracle Grow." I added.

Sam rolled her eyes but didn't comment.

Tucker shook his head. "…And _we_ are the ones that did this dude. How surreal is that?" Tucker said. "Well, not us." Sam said.

I shook my head. "It's us, just from a different time where everything is different I guess." I shrugged, dropping in altitude slightly.

"…first things first, guys. We find out more about Evil Danny." Sam said. I nodded. "What better way to find out then go home?" I offered, flying in the direction of Fenton Works.

While I knew that this was the same city that I lived in, and that the people and the places were the same, walking into Fenton Works seemed…darker. Pictures on the walls depicted Jazz winning spelling bees, all the way up to her high school graduation. All pictures of me stop at fourteen.

"Freaky." Tucker whistled, holding up a younger version of me wearing large frame glasses, with one front tooth missing, holding a science fair trophy. "You're apparently really smart here."

I crossed my arms, almost jealous. "Probably isn't worrying about grades when he's not busy being evil." I mumbled, kind of shaken that all proof of existence wasn't around after that picture of thirteen-year-old me.

"…They stopped putting up pictures after…"

"The accident." Sam finished.

I sighed, but continued around, walking up the stairs to what I thought was my bedroom. The room itself was pretty empty, as if I hadn't been staying there. Various intellect awards and books dotted the room, with a fine layer of dust coating almost everything. There was a tiny webcam in between some books, but it had been turned off and not looked at since.

I didn't really know what to make of this, but noticed a note pinned to the wall.

 _Going to live with Tucker._

 _~Daniel._

It was my handwriting, but neater, more intellectual, and it was a note to my parents. I went to live with Tucker.

"Danny, you're going to want to see this." Tucker called out to me. I phased through the floor to the basement where the lab still was. A table sat in the middle of the room, one corner caked in a dark red blood. Vials and jars with different descriptions lined the shelves, many with my name on them.

A file sat open on one of the desks, Sam and Tucker grimly reading.

I stood next to them, picking up a piece of paper.

" _February 11_ _th_ _._

 _Daniel has once again disappointed me, by not being strong enough to handle a little bit of experimentation with nerves, and by having body seizures in class._

 _If he can control his ghost form, why can't he control his body? Does he want everything to be exposed?_

 _Punishment tonight. Guys in White will be here to clean up the mess._

 _Dr. Madeline Fenton._

I gaped at the piece of paper in front of me. "Punishment." Sam whispered. "She performed experiments with your nerves, and expected there to be no side effects? Your mom may be a genius, but she isn't smart." Tucker continued.

I shrugged. "So, he wasn't lying. His mom did this to him." I said.

Sam nodded. "Apparently for a long time."

I looked up. "There has to be more to it. He apparently was living with Tucker. Maybe there is more there that can offer any more clues on how to fix him." I said, grabbing them and flying up.

I looked over the town, coming eye to eye with a plant prison in the distance. "We need to check that out next." Sam told me. I agreed with her, coming to a stop in Tucker's room.

It was the same as back home, only there were two beds, two chairs, and two pairs of extra glasses on the nightstand. Pictures of Sam and I were alongside the three of us, and a bunch of different homework assignments were around.

Tucker's computer was on, a note laying on the side.

 _Danny-boi:_

 _Password log in is: Damtrash (bc I am Dam Trash #1 tm)_

 _I'd say not to look up any porn, but you have Samantha for all your dirty needs ;)_

 _Love,_

 _Your boyfriend, tUcker._

I blushed, crumpling up the note in my pocket, but entering the password and opening the computer to the desktop.

"Oooh, a video diary! Let's look!" Tucker squealed. "You are having way too much fun with this." I scolded.

I double clicked the file anyway.

… _._

 _Flashback (Alternate Tucker vision)_

" _hello friends! Welcome back to the diary. Today we have Sam cleaning Danny's head wound!"_

 _Danny and Sam looked up at the camera in disgust. "Why don't you tell them why she's cleaning a head wound, Tucker?" Danny asked sweetly._

 _Tucker grinned maliciously. "Because you two were making out and I scared the shit out of you."_

 _Sam giggled slightly, her face only slightly blushing. "Danny accidently flinched into the shelf."_

 _Tucker pointed the camera up to the slightly dent in the wall below the shelf. "It's always fun being the Cockblock of the group!" Tucker laughed._

…

" _I want him back." Sam whispered, holding one of Danny's t-shirts in her hands. Tucker sat next to her with one arm around her shoulders, hand gently rubbing at her arm._

" _I know… we'll get him back, I promise."_

" _I want to know what his parents did to him. I want them to go to prison, Tucker." She spat, her eyes red with tears._

" _You don't think I do too? We've already checked Fenton Works for two months for any sign of him being there. He isn't there. They probably moved him to some unknown facility. It's going to take a little bit more time to find him, Sammy."_

" _I want my boyfriend back Tucker." Sam cried, bringing her hands up against her eyes._

 _Tucker looked down at the bed below him, his eyes sad. "I want my best friend back."_

…

" _Hi, this is Tucker. I like to think of myself as Danny's best friend and number one supporter of his relationship with my best friend Sam…, recently… well, for about two years Danny has gone through so much, so much mental and physical abuse from his parents, mainly his mother (with his father being a witness but never doing anything), and he is the strongest person I know._

 _But there has to be a consequence. Danny's mental state has been deteriorating, mainly from the Guys in White messing with his memories when he was held in their laboratory. This recent run in with them was the final nail in his coffin. Sam and I may be the only ones to snap him out of it, but only if we are sane too._

 _If anyone is watching this, and Undergrowth managed to take to me too…. help us. Danny doesn't deserve this. He deserves so much more than he has right now._

 _Please don't kill him._

 _Save us."_

…

"That last one had to be taken before he was controlled. It looked like it was taken on a PDA, near the prison!" Sam whispered.

Tucker and I blinked at the screen. "…that's…wow." Tucker said, his breath caught in his throat.

"…I want to help him." I said. Sam nodded. "Us too. We have all the proof we need that he can be fixed. We just need to get other 'us' uncontrolled."

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that?" I asked.

Tucker cleared his throat. "Well…. you could pretend to be your doppelgänger, Danny." Tucker offered. I gave him a look. "No, seriously. You go after Plant Sam, and Sam will go after the Pharaoh."

I shook my head. "What if they have stuff that can control me. The Pharaoh has the staff and it seems to have a similar property to Freakshow's staff."

Sam was reading out of a journal, grabbed the thick frames off the bedside table and thrust them onto my face. "With those. This Danny used them to battle freakshow. He could look at the crystal ball with those on and not be affected."

My vision was just one huge blur with those on. "I hate this. No wonder I'm evil, I can't see for shit." I muttered, taking them off. 

"How am I supposed to convince Plant Sam that I'm _her_ Danny? I mean—our ghost halves look slightly different." I told her. She shrugged, holding up one of the pictures of them. Most of the pictures were in human form, except for one of Sam in a black jumpsuit and a board with Phantom resting on top, smiling at the camera.

I felt a pang of jealousy. Here…he _did_ get the girl. Sam couldn't even look me in the eye knowing that an alternate version of us had gotten together. She would never even attempt to like me in that way.

I transformed, putting the glasses on, shocked to see that I could see out of them. "I mean, it's still blurry, but it's not one huge blob of color." I said.

Sam frowned, going into the closet and getting out some of the other me's clothes. "Dress like him."

I scowled, but nodded, going into the bathroom and shedding my bright colors and putting on Daniel's darkened palette. I looked in the mirror, looking like me, but also looking like _him_.

I went back into the room, Sam's gaze flitting over to me, and then away at what she was reading. I sighed, but took off the glasses for now, transforming back into Phantom mode, and grabbing them and flying away.

Flying over the prison was a mistake, it seemed, because I was shot down before I cleared the cage. "Oh _shit_." I mumbled, hitting the ground hard, making myself take most of the blow.

"What are you doing back here, Phantom?" Valerie's harsh voice snapped, though shock rained through her features. "Sam, Tucker? You guys are okay!" Their parents came up to snag hugs, Sam looking more uncomfortable than ever, with me still being held on the ground at gunpoint.

"We aren't them." I told them. Valerie backed up a bit, a scowl on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Clockwork. He's a ghost of time." Sam offered. Tucker nodded, breaking out of his mother's hold. "We _are_ Danny, Sam, and Tucker, but not from this timeline." Tucker finished.

"Meaning, I'm not batshit insane, so please let me get off the ground, Val." I offered. She lowered her weapon, her eyes still mistrusting. "Prove it."

"…Well, I uh- "I stuttered. "I don't know how to prove it to you." I told her.

My mom (well, alternate me's mom) stepped out from the crowd, everyone giving her dirty looks. She walked up towards me, not flinching and stood in front of me. I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" I asked. She looked shocked and guilty. The crowd around looked surprised and awed. She nodded. "Yes…if you were _my_ son….it would have." She mumbled, walking away.

I scoffed. "So, it's true. He's this way because of _you_." I called out. She stopped walking away but didn't turn towards me.

"And you guys wonder why I won't tell my parents. Because of _this_." I turned, towards Sam and Tucker, who nodded.

"You're cruel… _mother_. Torturing someone who didn't even know what they were…. especially someone who didn't have the support system I had."

"He could handle it. He handled the tests fine until they showed up." Maddie turned around. "I admit, I was wrong. I should have never treated him the way I did, and this is all my fault, but don't go around spouting off shit like you know what it's like to be like him."

"…Maddie, I _do_. I _am_ him. I mean, mostly. I'm not smart, I have perfect vision, and I'm _not_ dating Sam, but I'm him. He's a different form of me. He's what I could've been if the situation was different. I know exactly how'd _fucking_ feel if it was me." I shouted at her. Her eyes were wide and sad, and I didn't even care.

"And it's still so hard to yell at you because you may _look_ like my mom, but you'll never be her. I was lucky enough to have a mom who actually cares about me." I finished. She didn't know what to say, but she wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Danny, that's enough." Sam said quietly. Valerie looked impressed. "What's your plan? Are you going to help them?" She asked.

I nodded, transforming and taking the glasses out of my pocket. I could tell I looked different from him slightly, but the resemblance would be enough. "I'm going to pretend to be _this_ Danny to snap Plant Sam out of whatever is going on with her."

Sam stepped up. "I'm going to try to see if I can work through Pharaoh's issues." She said. Valerie again, smiled.

"I'll help. I'd say maybe though, snap Sam out of it first and then let her snap Tucker out of it. It'd work better like that. Then what are you going to do about Phantom? How are you going to kill him?" She asked.

"We aren't. We are going to let Sam and Tucker of this time help him. Then we are going back to our town and hopefully they'll stop messing it up." I mumbled.

Valerie nodded. "Hopefully this works." She whispered. I nodded, looking up at her with a fierce determination.

"It will."

…

"Okay, so hopefully she's alone, or this really isn't going to work." Valerie muttered, with me sitting on the board at her feet. I nodded.

"I can't go ghost, or that will alert…uh, Daniel." I said. Valerie smirked. "Kinda hard to follow along, huh? Being the same person with the same name and face." She asked.

I nodded. "…Did I ruin your life in that time too?" I asked. She shrugged. "Kinda. It was more the dog. You were just "doing" your "job", as you said."

"…You don't hunt me in that time?" I asked again. She laughed. "I tried, until you exploded in my face about your parents and how I didn't even know what I was talking about. No one knew you were being abused until…. you went insane."

I shrugged, simply, until we were overrun by green vines. Valerie and I had travelled out of the 'Broken' Timeline, into my own, with the others waiting in _my_ timelines Fenton Works until I finished this job. They would be watching via my video feed. Daniel's mom came as well, along with everyone else who had been in the prison.

"…What are you doing, my love?" Sam whispered, holding out a hand before snatching it back. "Why are you with her?"

"To get to you." I cleared my throat, standing up. "You could've flown."

"I didn't want to alert this towns Phantom without talking to you first…Sam."

Her eyes narrowed. "D, you are in love with her in my timeline, talk to her like it." Valerie whispered harshly.

I cleared my throat. "The missions over, Sammy. We can go home." I whispered, stepping one foot out onto the vines.

"Not what I meant." Valerie muttered. I glared at her, fixing the glasses on my face. I could barely see the vine in front of me, I could only hope Sam would catch me if I fall. I stepped fully onto the vine, inching closer to her.

"…What do you mean? We have to finish the plan. We will ru—"

"We already do rule, Sam. You and me. Together. We always have. What we have trumps any dictatorship over the world." I whispered. Valerie flew back a bit, to give a wide girth, but close enough that she could intervene if she had to.

"…" Plant Sam didn't say anything but allowed me to come closer.

The plants flickered in and out of existence, and I knew if I needed to act, I had to act now. "Come on, Sam. Come home with me." I said, finally reaching her and placing my hands on her cheeks.

I could tell that the hold on her was strong, and that it was only weakened by my words. I would have to-oh god. I would have to.

I stopped thinking and brought her lips to my own, the vines flickering out of reality and Other Sam flicking back to a human form, her mouth caught in a gasp as we started to fall.

Valerie caught us just in time, Sam clutching on to my shoulders in fear. "Danny, what—"

"Don't punch him, but he's not your Danny. Your Danny is still lost." Valerie said.

Sam let go of me, but I didn't let that bother me too much.

"We have to save him." Sam shivered, looking at me in gratitude and fear. I nodded. "We will."

…

 _Whoops sorry about that wait tho._


	30. Shattered

_Not many chapters left I don't think. Feeling very inspired!_

 _(Dark Timeline) Sam's POV_

I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

He wasn't my Danny, that's for sure. He was calm, collected, and confident. He fed off of the attention of others and was cocky, and sometimes a little arrogant. He was sure of himself and his abilities, and never second guessed anything.

He, at least, was focusing all of that energy on saving _my_ Danny. I smacked my lips together, my mouth still tasting sour like grass and honeysuckle. I had been gone a long time, Valerie told me. That I had hurt people, and along with Danny, planned on hurting _more_ people.

I was still confused about the whole _timeline_ aspect of this, but I knew that the Danny I was looking at, the one helping us, wasn't mine. And I felt gross and off-kilter that we had kissed, and I had thought he was mine.

I watched the other timeline Danny and Sam carefully circle around each other, and smirked. Maybe we were destined for each other no matter how we met. Friends forever, or just met a couple months ago.

I sighed, pulling a burr out of my hair and using the brush Valerie provided me with to make sure I looked more presentable. I was tasked with snapping Tucker out of his control, and hopefully the both of us would be able to get Danny back.

I frowned as the other Danny stalked off, running his hands through his hair in what seemed like frustration and anger, the other Sam doing the same. I looked at Valerie, and their Tucker, who shrugged and went after Danny.

I decided to go after myself. After all, who knows you better than you?

I jogged after her, she looked upset from the back. "Need to talk?" I asked. She jumped and turned around, her face red, but a quiet laugh coming from her chest.

"No…just need to think is all. It's still weird, the concept of talking to myself." She said. I nodded, sitting down next to her, looking at the city. "I know. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if this is all some bad dream… that I'll wake up tomorrow and…Danny won't be evil, and we can go back to the way things were." I said, bringing my knees to my chest.

"What's it like?" Sam asked after a couple of minutes. I looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What's it like…. dating Danny?" She said. I smirked, knowing full well she wanted to date her own Danny.

"…Fine, well… more than fine. It's perfect. My Danny is by no means yours, but… it's like we were made for each other." I told her.

She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Sometimes I wish _we_ had that, you know? I've been in love with him, for God knows how long, and I still can't find the courage to even _hint_ at it."

I nodded. "I thought I would never be able to tell him either."

"I guess we are a little different after all…. you aren't afraid." She whispered, looking down at the grass.

"Afraid? I was terrified to tell him. He was distressed, and he had just told me about his powers, and thought I would hate him. I kissed him to stop him from freaking out, but only after I second guessed myself thousands of times." I told her. She looked up, almost amused.

"Yeah, you may be afraid, but we Sam Manson's are bad-ass goths who can definitely tell their man how it is." I smirked.

She laughed, the light coming back to her eyes. "Yeah, I suppose."

We sat in silence for a little bit before I broke it again. "If he's anything like my Danny, he's going to think you don't like him back." I told her.

She rolled her eyes. "How could he not know?" She smirked.

"Clueless." We said together, a startled laugh coming out of each of us. Sam hummed and looked at me. "How long have you guys been together?" She asked.

"Almost a year." I told her. "He wasn't around for about three months of it." I told her. She nodded.

"Guys, we gotta go." Tucker called out to us. "Pharaoh is on the move."

I got up, dusting off my jeans Sam had loaned me. "That's my que. Tell him." I snapped my fingers at her, and the jogged towards Valerie, who was waiting for me.

I got on her board. "Thanks, Val."

She hummed and nodded, "No problem, Manson. I can't wait until this is all over and we can finally get out of this fucking 'Twilight Zone'." Valerie laughed.

I couldn't help myself.

I joined in.

…

Tucker was waiting by a tree, probably for me, when he spotted the speeder. "Samantha." His voice growled. "You've changed back."

I nodded, Valerie allowing me to get down on the grass, tumbling to my knees. "Yes, and I need you to come with me Tucker."

"I am not Tucker anymore. Tucker is weak, and I am strong." He shouted. I had to hold in rolling my eyes as I approached him.

"Tucker was never weak. He was, if not is, the strongest person I know. My best friend." I told him. He scoffed. "How could I be? I was human."

"You were strong because of me and Danny, Tuck." I told him. His eyes flitted over my form for a moment before he shook his head.

"I'll be telling Phantom of your judgment change."

"Time for Plan B." I muttered, hitting my wrist where I had replaced my suit bracelet, and my suit formed to my body, and I blasted after him, wrists raised and ecto-blasts firing.

The Other Phantom came up behind me. "Um, what are you doing?" He asked, stilly hysteric and confused. I shook my head.

"Talking to him isn't going to work, and neither is kissing him. I have to do something else. Fighting him is the only way." I told him.

He didn't argue, and fell back a couple feet, allowing me to soar ahead, still shooting at Tucker until I had a direct hit, sending him to the ground.

"Nightshade." He mumbled, getting up. "You aren't strong enough to beat me, not with human emotions." He told me, his hold tightening on the scepter.

I had an idea.

Remembering how Freakshow's staff weakened when I held it, I shot forward and grabbed his staff. "You are _nothing_ without _this_." I growled. The 'Pharaoh' tried to pull my hands off of the scepter, but I tightened my grip, digging my heels into the ground in an effort to not allow him to shake me off.

"Let _go_." He hissed. I shook my head.

"Never."

Finally, I got the upper hand and thrust the staff out of his hands, and me sprawling to the ground.

Tucker's eyes stopped glowing. "Whaaa?" He asked, looking down at his appearance. "Sam? What the hell is going on here?" He said, crossing his arms in annoyance over his bare chest.

Other Danny landed next to me, Tucker taking in the different suit and overall cocky appearance. "Is that Danny?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not ours. We will get ours back with his help though."

Tucker blinked at me. "Am I on drugs? Drunk? Trippin'?" He asked. I laughed, giving him a big hug after handing other Danny the scepter. "No, but I have a lot of explaining to do."

…

"After being more confused in my life than I have _ever_ been, I think I finally understand." Tucker said, wrapped up in a blanket because he hadn't changed yet.

I nodded. "So now, the hard part. Waking Danny up."

Tucker bit his lip, looking at his doppelgänger, and then back at me. "I'm not sure we can." He said.

"No, he has to wake up. He'll wake up." I snapped. Tucker took a step back. "Sam, he's never going to be the same after this." He told me. I shrugged. "We can help him. I'm done giving up on him. Figure something out." I snapped.

Tucker flinched but nodded, stalking away to get different clothes to change into. "Are you usually this harsh?" Other Danny's cocky voice grated my ears. I turned and glared sharply at him, surprising him.

"Don't you have something else to be doing other than spying on my conversation?" I snapped, crossing my arms. He held his hands up, surprised and confused. "Woah, take it easy! I'm just trying to help." He said, his voice sharp.

"You can help by getting my boyfriend back. Just looking at you makes me feel sick." I told him, truthfully. He backed up, surprised. "Why? Because I kissed you? You are dating me!" He scoffed.

I scoffed right back. "No. I'm dating _my_ Danny. You are nothing like him." I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Sam."

I turned sharply. "He's kind, considerate, humble, and funny. He's smart, quiet, and especially not as cocky as you. You are everything that he's not." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I remind you of him right now, don't I?" He asked, transforming. He wore brighter clothes than my Danny, helping me distinguish them better.

"What makes you think that?" I snapped. He shrugged. "Just the way you act. I have my own Sam that I know everything about. I know how to read her, and you guys are about the same. Of course, there are some differences." He went on, walking towards me.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I…I'm everything he would be if he had you sooner." He whispered. "I've known my Sam and Tucker since kindergarten. They've been my best friends longer than you've known your Danny…

I use my cockiness and "pride" as a self-defense mechanism. I don't always act like this." He explained. I found myself shutting up and actually listening.

"I'm a lot more like your Danny then you think, Sam." He told me, and then he walked away, back to his Sam and Tucker, ready to talk about a plan to save my boyfriend.

I felt a waft of shame come over me. Of course, they wouldn't be like this all the time. Other Danny didn't tell me how exactly they were the same, but I understood. They both had hero complex's, the both would die for the ones they cared about.

They both had mental setbacks that separated them from both the living and the dead. They both had to live with the fact that they didn't belong anywhere.

"…That's it." I whispered.

Danny's mind was fragmented. Both halves living in each half.

His morals weren't in his ghost half and his sanity wasn't present in his human half. He was broken, his mind had shattered.

"Oh my god. Guys! I got it! I know what we have to do!" I called out.

I finally had figured it out.

I would save him.

I had to.

…

 _Shorter, filler chapter, but with a little bit of information thrown in. I'll see you in a couple days with the penultimate chapter ;)_


	31. My Body is Dying, but I'm Still Alive

_Dark Danny POV_

I took a step back, admiring the place where I had planned to meet my two best friends just hours before, realizing that somehow, they'd been predisposed.

I took a deep breath, clenching my fists together in an attempt to calm myself before I majorly freaked out. It must have been the other me…he took away what mattered most to me.

 _This isn't You. Fight this, before you make it worse._

I shook my head, clearing my head of the traitorous thoughts and flew up in the air, looking for any sign of a struggle between either of my friends, but the city was quiet. I growled, my eyes glowing brighter for a mere moment before I tapped into my ghost sense, trying to sense anyone using ecto-energy.

There was a faint hit about four miles off and I smirked to myself. I hadn't even told my friends about that newly discovered feature of my ghost sense, and I hoped that the other me hadn't divulged any information. I shot forward, gaining distance on the camp before disguising my ecto-signature, not letting myself sense…me.

This just keeps getting more confusion as I continue to talk about myself like this.

I landed in the middle of camp, and just as I expected. Two Sam's. Two Tuckers. My Valerie was here, sitting with Sam and the other me was talking with _my_ Tucker, his Sam, and his Tucker. I growled, stepping closer.

"Sam said she's figured it out but refuses to tell us how to fix him." His Tucker said, causing my Tucker to cross his arms.

"She doesn't trust you guys yet, she still thinks you want to kill him."

The other me shrugged. "If we can't fix him, then we have to kill him. He's too dangerous to leave alone."

Tucker clenched his jaw. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but that is _my_ best friend. _My_ brother. You don't get to decide that." He snapped. Something inside of me tugged at my heartstrings. I took a deep breath and pressed a hand to my chest.

His Sam looked at my Tucker. "You have to open your eyes. He may not be the same Danny that you know." She told him.

Tucker clenched his fists before stalking away, probably to talk to people of his own timeline. I watched the group before me.

"Probably shouldn't tell him you're going to kill his version of _you_." His Tucker told them gently. Sam and Danny shrugged. "If we have to, that's what we are going to do. After seeing what he's done to my town within the last couple hours, I don't know if I want to even try to help him." The Danny said.

I was livid. How dare they try to decide _my_ fate. If they went around deciding people's fates, many people would die, I'm guessing. I smirked. Time to do some decision making of my own.

I flew up next to Sam, as the other me was smiling at her, and made her disappear.

His grin turned into shock and fear, and I didn't wait around to see what he did next. With my hand pressed against her mouth and her struggling against me, I flew away and waited for him to follow.

…

"Let me GO!" Sam screamed.

"I don't think you actually want me to do that, or you'll actually die. I don't plan on harming you, Manson." I told her.

She shut up, actually surprised. I landed on a rooftop, where I had been planning everything about the plan. "So, what did you plan on doing with me then?"

I sighed. "I was eavesdropping on your little conversation about killing me and thought I'd give that goodie-too-shoes version of me a consequence for once. Who gives you the right to make decisions about other people's lives?" I asked her.

She closed her mouth, thinking about the statement. "Danny will do anything to protect his friends and family. What would you do for your Sam?" She asked, crossing her arms.

I felt the blood red in my eyes disappear for a millisecond as I uttered, "anything."

Sam seemed surprised. I put up shields that would take them awhile to get through and I stalked over to the table, feeling very put-off and upset. I didn't really know how to deal with these emotions.

I was alone again. Every time I think I'm safe with the people who love me and that I love, they leave. Sam left me. Tucker left me. They became what they used to be with no concern for me.

Why can't they accept me for what I am?

…

" _Good" Danny's POV_

"Flying after him with no plan will do you no good." Tucker snapped. I shook my head. "If I go after her now, I can kill him and end all of this."

The other Sam, one I couldn't even look at in the eye, got up. "Really? Has that been your plan all along? To take his _life_?" She demanded.

I sighed. "No. I was going to do what I had to, to keep my Sam and Tucker safe. But now he has Sam, and that is a problem, and that is worth killing him over."

"For taking her on a joyride? I don't think so. He's not going to hurt her." Sam said, very sure of herself.

"Why the hell not? He's hurt people before for less than this." I said.

"She looks like me. He can't hurt me, he's in love with me. His love has always stopped him from doing anything stupid, but it looks like yours makes you _do_ stupid things." She said, crossing her arms.

I blushed, crossing my arms. I took a deep breath. "Of course I'm in love with her and would do anything for her. I have a hero complex; my _obsession_ is saving people. When the people closest to me get taken from me, I snap. I literally can't deal with it." I growled.

Tucker blinked at me, all of them having taken a step back. "What?" I asked, calming down.

Tucker shook his head. "You looked like…him. The evil Danny."

Sam nodded, standing in front of me. "I figured it out, and if you promise to help him before you kill him, I will tell you."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, kind of off put from having lost it a little. "Okay, fine."

"…He almost died. The Guys in White told Tetslaff to let him bleed out with the class to just watch him bleed out. They then, when he was weakened, went to take him away. Take him away from Tucker. That's apparently when he went crazy and tried to kill a bunch of agents." She told me.

Their Tucker nodded. "It was insane. One second it was like he was dead. He was motionless, just being dragged away to be put up in a lab under his mother's orders, but then he was up and attacking everyone and everything. I put him in a jailbroken thermos that could trap Halfa's in their human form."

"So, you knew he'd lose it at some point?" My Tucker asked. The other Tucker shook his head.

"I made it just in case his Uncle Vlad turned out to be an evil twat."

I almost threw up. "Uncle Vlad?" I said bitterly. "Yeah. His Godfather. He's been there for him more than his parents as of lately and has been there since he was a baby."

"No, he's evil here." Tucker and I stated.

Sam shook her head. "Look, I think his mind is in separate pieces or something."

I pondered this for a moment. "You said he was shot? And then when he was dying, he suddenly went crazy?" I asked.

She nodded. "It sounds a lot like fight or flight." I turned to Tucker. He nodded. "But he should've snapped out of it by now. There's no reason to still be evil and hostile." Tucker pointed it out.

I nodded and snapped my fingers. "What if he's still dying?" I asked.

Tucker blinked. "Think about it. The Guys in White had captured him before, did experiments and tests, and hypothetically made something that he couldn't heal. That he had to go to the hospital for. What if he's still bleeding out in human form. Has he transformed at all since?" I asked.

Other Tucker nodded. "Once, but I didn't really pay attention to the wound."

Tucker and I nodded. "That's gotta be what's happening."

"So how do we fight him then?" Sam asked. "We have to weaken his ghost form, which means we have to literally fight to kill, but not to finish the job. Then we have to get him to a hospital, and fast or he _will_ die." Tucker stated.

Sam nodded, a smile on her face. "We can save him?" She asked.

Tucker nodded. "We can." I told her.

The Tuckers and Sam went to run off to gather equipment when Sam stopped and turned on her heel. "You know, I think you are pretty smart. And more like my Danny then I thought." She told me. "Your Sam loves you, too." She whispered.

I almost felt my heart stop in my chest.

There would be time to save Sam. I needed to save myself first.

How fucking Metal is that?

…

 _Dark Danny's POV_

I thought for sure they'd be here by now. To save the girl or something. "Where are they?" She whispered.

"Maybe they don't care about you as much as you thought." I muttered, playing with my gloves. She scoffed, walking away from me.

"You know I'm not going to hurt you right? You are just bait." I told her. She turned around and glared. "So, you can hurt _my_ Danny." She muttered.

I nodded. "Essentially."

She sighed. "Just stop! Just be who they are telling us about! Be yourself and not this monster that you've become."

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. I don't know how. I don't know why I'm still like this. It's like my hold on humanity is weak—" I was cut off by an ectoblast that hit me with so much force I was thrown across the roof and hit the edge hard.

I coughed, my ribs feeling broken from the impact, and it was hard to breathe. Their Sam was gone, in her place was Danny, his Tucker, Sam as Nightshade, and Valerie. "So, you take them from me and use them to fight me?" I coughed, ectoplasm dripping down my chin from my mouth.

"This is for your own good, Danny." Sam shouted, raising her palm and shooting me. I let it hit me, knocking me a few feet back. "This fight doesn't seem fair." I called out.

The other Danny lunged at me, landing a kick to my stomach, forcing me on my back. "You haven't played fair either." He growled, punching me in the face.

I coughed, kicking up and kicking him off. I was stronger than him. I had to be. I felt the warm tinges of my humanity slipping from me as I fought them, all of them landing punches and blasts.

I knocked Valerie off her board, taking out the other Tucker. My Tucker stood next to their Sam, who wanted to desperately to help. I threw the board in their direction, Sam barely catching it to save them.

"End this, Danny!" Sam sobbed. She didn't want to hurt me. That was reassuring. "I _can't_. Why can't you understand?" I said, my voice hysterical.

"If you can't stop, I'll stop you."

I felt around for the warmth in my chest. It wasn't there. Where did it go?

The other Phantom took a deep breath, what was he going to do, scream at me?

 _Darkness._

…

 _Genius Timeline Sam's POV_

I covered my ears, my board barely staying online. I landed on the ground, as sonic waves of ecto-energy went towards Danny.

When they stopped, the Other Danny collapsed, transforming, and my Danny hit the ground hard, his rings coming up, dim, and transforming himself back.

I ran towards him. Sure enough, the bullet wounds still bled, albeit slowly. He had been slowly bleeding out in human form this whole time.

"Is he okay?" The Other Danny wheezed. I shrugged. "I don't know yet." I said. Valerie got up, helping me place him on my board as I flew him off the roof and towards the closest hospital. The others piled on Valerie's damaged board and followed.

"Please help him." I gasped out, as nurses took him away to treat him. Tucker came up behind me and hugged me. "It's over." I whispered.

"Hopefully he's himself after this." Tucker agreed. Valerie came up to us as well. "I hope he gets better." She crossed her arms, rubbing at her shoulders.

The other group stayed back, letting us have this moment. "He'll be okay. Fight or Flight is mostly gone." The other Danny wheezed out, his throat sounding rough.

"What the hell was that power?" Tucker asked. He shrugged.

"The last time I tangled with an evil me, I gained this power. I almost never use it in battle because of how bad it leaves me drained. He wasn't stopping without me using it." He slurred. He looked really tired, almost functioning solely on autopilot.

"Thank you." I whispered. I had tears in my eyes, and I felt like sobbing because there was no guarantee that he would pull through this, but he wasn't evil anymore. He wouldn't hurt anyone anymore.

He smiled and nodded. The other Sam grabbed his hand. "We should get you home. Will you guys be able to get back?" She asked me. I smiled at her. "Tell him." I whispered to her.

She looked down at their clasped hands, fitting perfectly together. She met my eyes again and nodded. "I will." She whispered back. Tucker followed them out the door.

"Think we'll talk to them again?" Tucker asked. I shrugged.

"Hopefully not. I'm tired of keeping up with who is who." I laughed.

…

The Doctor came out three hours later, still wearing his mask, having just discarded his scrubs. I got up immediately.

He smiled. "He'll be fine. I don't know what caused all of that damage, and I'm guessing that you are the ones from the separate timeline, but he'll be okay. If you are careful, you can transport him to your timeline and begin the healing of all of his trauma."

I nodded, a big smile on my face. They provided us with health supplies. He was asleep, and resting, the bags under his eyes almost bruises and just overall looking awful. But he would be okay.

We carefully transported him back to our timeline, citizens already cleaning up from the mess we had created. The Guys in White were even helping weed the gardens.

The citizens looked up at us in apprehension as we landed in the middle of town. Danny had blearily woken up, his speed healing allowing Tucker to hook an arm under his arms and help him into his house, Mrs. Foley already holding the door open.

Madeline came up to me with question in her eyes. "What happened?" She asked, curiously.

I glared at her. "As if it's any of your fucking business."

The mayor came up to me and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We are expected an explanation…you understand?" He said.

I nodded. "When Danny was apprehended by the Guys in White, he was shot. And the agents told Tetslaff not to help him and to let him bleed out. That triggered 'fight or flight.' It's a ghost instinct and made him act that way. The GiW also developed a bullet Danny couldn't heal with his speed healing, so he was bleeding out the whole time he was in ghost form. He was dying that entire time.

He still almost died in surgery repairing all of the damage _you_ had done. I hope you don't judge him for things he did while he was dying, sir." I said harshly.

"No judging. We now know of all the trauma he's endured. Focus on getting him better, and then I'll brief him on what he will need to do for the community."

I nodded, walking into the Foley's house, ready to do whatever I could for my boy.

…

 _Two weeks later_

 _Danny's POV_

I peeled my open, sunlight streaming through my curtains. My throat seemed to stick together as I swallowed roughly. My abdomen was bandaged underneath my fingers and I sat up shakily.

I was in Tucker's room, on my bed. I reached for my glasses and found them, slipping them on. I got up painfully on my feet and went to the window. The town looked the same.

I was suddenly ridden with all the guilt in the world, the memories coming to my mind all at once, tears coming down my cheeks in thick droplets. The town was probably waiting for me to reveal myself, so they could kill me.

I took a shaky breath, wiping my eyes and looking around. I was only wearing sweatpants, so I grabbed a weird white t-shirt with a red oval on it that I don't remember ever buying and walked down the stairs. The house was empty, Mrs. Foley probably at work and Tucker somewhere.

I turned on the TV to the news to see what was going on.

"— _king news. Nightshade, currently going against the Fright Knight, has been thrown off her board for the fifth time in a row. Is she running on fumes after taking on all the ghost fights, or is she just not cutting it anymore?_ "

I gasped to myself, looking out the window, seeing ectoblasts flying across town. I felt conflicted.

Would people be scared of me now?

I heard a maniacal laugh and didn't care anymore, transforming and flying at top speed towards Sam, having the Fright Knight' blade thrust towards her. I kept flying, catching her by the waist, kicking the sword out his hand with one kick, spinning almost out of control as Valerie came up from behind and sucked the knight in her own thermos.

"You're awake!" Sam smiled, her legs clasped around my waist. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, capturing her lips with my own, her arms snaking around my neck.

Valerie cleared her throat, pushing Sam's board towards us. Sam pulled away blushing, allowing both of us to land on her board.

I smiled at Sam, the guilt and the darkness still in my mind but much quieter now that I was with her.

"I think I'm going to be okay."


	32. Trials and Explanations

_Danny's POV_

I messed with the tie around my neck, loosening it and then tightening it in nervousness. I sat outside the court room on a bench while waiting for the final verdict.

A part of me wanted nothing more to leave the premises and run away, but the white cuff fastened on my wrist, monitoring my powers but not taking them away, would alert the nearest police officer and I wouldn't even make it a mile.

I took a deep breath, the officer to my left coming next to me and nodding, and I took that as my que to get up and walk with him. We reentered the court room, eyes already going to me in fear and sometimes sympathy, sometimes anger, maybe a few in disgust.

"Daniel James Fenton." The Judge said as I stood next to my lawyer that the state provided for me. My dad was sitting in the stands, and he stood with me, but Sam and Tucker weren't able to go, but I knew were watching.

"The Jury has made a decision, young man." Judge McFarlian said. I didn't meet their eyes. "For kidnapping and being an assailiant of a town corruption the court finds you not guilty, for reasons of mental control."

I let out my breath.

"For attempted murder, the court finds you not guilty, for unfit state of mind, and use of "fight or flight."

I felt tears prick in my eyes, and some people were whispering in the background in outrage. "Order in my court please." The Judge snapped.

"And for endangering of an entire civilization the court finds you, not guilt, but with hopes of a community service charge."

"This is an outrage? You are just going to let him go?" A middle aged woman cried out.

"He's not fit to walk on his own, let alone live free!" "Send him to the fucking feds, he's just a stupid labrat."

"ORDER!" The judge tried to call out, but it was too late, and my dad was escorting me out of the building and into the parking lot, where millions of paparazzi swarmed.

"How's it feel to get away with your crimes?"

"Daniel, Daniel! Will you continue fighting ghosts?"

"Any word from your mother?"

It all turned into murmured silemce as soon as my dad closed the door. I buckled my seatbelt and stared straight forward.

"…Anywhere you want to go, son?" My dad asked. "Can I go to Sam's?" I whispered. He nodded. "Of course, buddy."

Dad dropped me off at Sams. Pamela let me in quickly, sweeping me into a tight hug. "How are you darling?" She asked, cupping my cheek lightly. "I could be worse." I told her honestly.

She nodded, hugging me one last time. "Samantha is in her room. She didn't watch the announcement."

I laughed bitterly. "She was too scared, she told me." I waved to Jeremy in the living room, him giving me a sympathetic nod, before I ascended the staircase and entered Sam's room without knocking.

I had an armful of Sam within seconds of me walking into the room. "God, I was terrified." She mumbled into my suit jacket, before giving me a deep kiss. I kissed her back, not as into it until she let me go.

"Any sentencing?" She asked. I shook my head. "Not Guilty on all accounts, though the townspeople were less than thrilled I was being released." I told her.

She rolled her eyes. "What can they do? They are stupid, close minded people."

I shrugged. "And they mean everything to me. I mean it. Everything. I would do anything to protect them, but right now the mayor says I can't hunt ghosts for the townspeople safety. I thought he said I would be okay?"

Sam sighed. "He believes that you are okay, but he's not going to do anything about the people bullying you into submission." She growled. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I just want to take a shower. Is that okay?" I asked. I didn't even want to bring up my mother, even though I could tell Sam was wishing that I would. I entered her bathroom and closed the door gently, turning on the shower faucet and letting the water rain down into the tub below.

I took my time taking off my suit, each article of clothing removed felt like a layer or burden being taken away until I felt nothing. I just felt numb, and in the back of my mind I had memories of a person who I didn't think I could be resurfacing.

Ever since I woke up from my "instinctual nap," I had been slowly reliving the evil me's memories, until I finally could piece together that _I_ had done those things to people. _I_ had hurt so many people I had sworn to protect.

The only thing other than the numbness that I felt had to be pain, and emotional agony. I felt the unshed tears burning in my eyes and I quickly got into the shower, the water much to hot for an ice-core to handle but I just felt like torturing myself lately.

I heard Sam opened the door, so I stopped my sniffling for a second as she rustled around in some drawers. "Danny?" She called.

"Yeah?" And even to my own ears my voice sounded thick. She sighed, and I could hear her clothes being discarded and a second later the shower curtain pulled back. I didn't open my eyes though, even as she took me into her arms. I finally let the dam break loose and I sobbed on Sam's shoulder, the past weeks of pain and frustration just leaking through and she just held me.

"It's okay. Everything's going to be alright." She whispered.

"No, Sam. Everything _isn't_ alright. Due to the fact that my father is a very forgiving person, my mom is still living in our house until her trial. Then, if she doesn't get jail time, I'm scared my dad will let her continue to live with us."

"Then tell him how you feel. That it's her or you." Sam said, rubbing my wet shoulders. I shook my head. "I'm scared he'll choose her."

Sam shook her head. "If he does then he doesn't deserve you." She whispered. She kissed me again, but this time I held on for dear life, and didn't let her go so easily.

She pulled away, albeit reluctantly. "Why don't you stay with me for a couple weeks? I've missed you a lot." She whispered the last part suggestively. I nodded. "Anything to get out of that hellhole."

Our lips connected again and this time it felt like home.

…

Sam and I had promised Tucker to meet him at the Nasty Burger for dinner, so a very long shower later, we were dressed and walking down the street, hand in hand.

I was wearing a black hoodie, gray skinny jeans and my old school vans while Sam was wearing a black t-shirt of mine, black skinny jeans, and black converse. People stared at me as we passed by, but with one glare from Sam they were minding their own business.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out, scoffing at the message I saw.

 _Mom [rec] are you coming home for dinner? I wanted to get the family together, to talk about what happens next._

I showed Sam, who's face nearly turned purple out of rage. "How dare she talk to you like everything is okay?" She asked. I shrugged.

 _Mom [sent] the only thing that comes next between_ us _is me staying far away from you until the trial._

Sam nodded in approval. "Good one." She said. We entered the Nasty Burger together, Tucker already waiting at our usual table. The restaurant got quiet as we walked in, but I did my best to ignore it.

"What is he doing in here? Does he have no sympathy?" Someone whispered.

"…Sam I have to do something to prove that I'm on their side." I told her, sitting down across from Tucker. She sat down next to me.

"I don't know what you _could_ do, dude." Tucker replied. I sighed. "There has to be _something_." I said, resting my head in my arms. Tucker's order rang out in the restaurant so he got up real quick to get our food.

"…Press conference?" Sam asked. "You could hold one and apologize publically what you did, even if it wasn't really your fault. Not everyone knows the full story." Sam said.

I nodded. "I could do that."

"Email the mayor." She told me, and Tucker sat back down. We filled him in and he agreed that it wasn't a bad idea.

Tucker already had his phone out emailing the mayor by the time we were done explaining it, and by the time we were done eating, the mayor had replied that it was a great idea, and he agreed 100%.

Tomorrow morning, at 10 a.m., I would hold a press conference for the city of Amity Park to tell my story, and this time I'm not holding back.

…

"Danny…are you nervous?" Sam asked me at around 11 o'clock. Her parents had agreed to let me stay, with the promise of no shenanigans going on at night. I respected their wishes, but that's just because I had already gotten all shenanigans out of my system earlier.

I nodded. "Kinda. I mean, this is a big deal." I whispered, turning to face her. Her hair was tied back in a bun and she was wearing an oversized t-shrit and sweatpants, both of which were mine.

"It is."

"My dad will be there to support me though….though I think he's bringing mom." I whispered again.

Sam rolled her eyes. "He doesn't understand what he's doing to you." I nodded. "He doesn't, which is why I don't blame him, and he doesn't blame me for staying away."

Sam closed her eyes briefly, before kissing me soundly, her hands resting on my shoulders. "No matter what the public decides tomorrow, I'll always love you, Danny." She whispered.

"I love you too, Sammy." I whispered back, and brought her into my arms before falling into a fitful sleep.

…

I arrived fifteen minutes early to the press conference, and to my surprise, half the town had already shown up, many of which held curious faces. I took a deep breath and shook hands with the mayor.

"Are you feeling alright, son?" He asked. My father and mother were behind me, even if I didn't want her there it was almost comforting, Sam and Tucker behind them.

"As okay as I'll ever be." I told him. I turned to my father. "Mom can sit in the audience, don't you think." I said, my voice harsh. She flinched. Dad looked surprisingly guilty, but mom pulled away anyway. "I'll see you when its over." She told me.

I took the stage a couple minutes later, the whispering already starting.

"…Hello." I said, my voice echoing across town. Sam grabbed my hand from next to me and I took a deep breath.

"Throughout my life as Danny Fenton…or rather Daniel James Fenton, everyone had thought that my genius family was perfect. Sure, we were intellectually sound but everything changed in one moment. And I'll never forget that moment.

When I was fourteen years old, I knew more about physics, technology, and science then most kids my age. I helped my parents with their ghost hunting inventions, even if I didn't believe in them at the time. I stepped inside an invention to rewire something that my dad had overlooked. They had called it the "Fenton Ghost Portal." I had called them stupid to their backs, but helped them anyway, because it was their dream.

The only reason I was ever in that lab was to help my parents live out their dreams." I paused, looking at my mom who was at the back of the crowd. Her face was blank.

"When I stepped inside the portal, I tripped over my feet. I was clumsy, everyone knew that about me, but the thing my dad had messed up in the wiring process was placing an on button on the inside of the portal, inside instead of the outside. I activated the portal from inside of it."

I took a deep breath, various shocked expressions on the crowds faces, excluding my mom, who just looked plain guilty.

Good.

"I don't remember the next two weeks very well. I went to the hospital, they found abnormalities in my blood that changed my home life forever. Ectoplasm had fused itself to my DNA, giving my ghost abilities. At the time, my parents thought that I was a human with ghost powers… I didn't tell them about my ghostly persona, mostly because I was afraid of what I was.

I did what I could to help them…but eventually _I_ knew it was no use and that any possible chance about removing the mutation would kill me. It would alter the stability of my DNA and I would cease to exist. Every plea I gave to my parents went unheard, and the tests became more painful, but didn't escalate.

That's how I lived for two years." I paused again. "I didn't have any friends, however…Samantha Elizabeth Manson came up to me in the hallway one day to tell me she volunteered herself and her friend Tucker to work with the weird genius kid who had social anxiety. I have never been more grateful in my life for a school project, because it gave me my two best friends.

My two best friends who stole a file from my parent's lab because I left school early, and they thought my parents were abusing me. What they found was much worse, and they still stayed by my side. They helped me discover who I am outside of a freak. They helped me create Danny Phantom."

I took a step back, and with Sam's nod, I transformed into the being that the town was afraid of.

"Danny Phantom isn't his own person who attached himself to me. He _is_ me. He is the offspring of my DNA and Ectoplasm. He is _me_. Just like me, he's not perfect. I am not perfect. I am an seventeen year old boy who has hormones and mood swings, and god forbid, social drama to put on top of all that. I'm still a teenager, with teenage problems." I said. The audience nodded along with me.

"The months after were hard, from me being sent to the Guys in White by my mother the first time, to finally starting to hunt ghosts as a obligation to this town than a hobby. Then my dad got sent away from me, and my mom had sole custody over me.

She blackmailed me and used my love of my friend and my girlfriend against me if I didn't do what she said. She moved my bedroom to the lab and conducted tests she knew would never cure me, but was designed to hurt me. And I almost died. Wes Weston actually saved me, by sneaking into my basement and bandaging my woudns and feeding me. Without him and my best friends I may not be standing here today…but you also wouldn't have had to go through what you went through.

When the Guys in White pursued me for the second time, and hopefully the last, I had been through so many mental battles. I had already talked to Tamara Foley about getting me in to see a therapist so I could work through some of my shit—excuse me. Stuff." The audience chuckled a little bit.

"So when they almost killed me, I snapped, and I did horrible, unforgivable things to the people I care about most. The citizens of this town. So today, I stand before you to tell my story. I have always worn my genius like a mask but today I bare my entire being to you, so you can see. I am truly devastated at what I had done.

I don't care if it was my instincts, or my body helping me survive. A part of me wishes I didn't, so I wouldn't have a chance to hurt any of you. I am deeply, and truly sorry at any damage I have caused, or lives that I took." My voice cracked.

"My ghostly obsession…isn't something I liked to project to the world in fear that someone would use it to exploit me, but I'm telling you people this because I, as your hero, trust you. My obsession is protecting this town and everyone in it, and I can promise you my being is punishing myself for everything I have done. Thank you." I said, and then I disappeared.

I didn't give anyone a change to stop me.

I just flew away.

…

 _: )_


End file.
